‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s journey from injury table to success with Athletic
The initial occasion the Athletic striker competed in England, an young appearing for the reserve team against German opponents at Adams Park in September 2015, he found the net. The second time he appeared in British turf, against the English side weeks after, he scored. Another occasion, against Pep Guardiola’s team six weeks after that, indeed, he repeated the feat. When he returned to the city to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in 2017, he found the back of the net. A spectacular strike, as well. “Truly,” he states, “it ranks among my finest I’ve netted.” Therefore the team did their duty: they took him off.
“I was furious,” the forward says, before breaking into laughter. “Probably there’s a recording. We went to play United and I performed well. They kept me out of the latter period: my contract wasn’t finalized agreement, I was scoring goals, many stories circulated, as you’d expect. I’m unsure regarding the Magpies’ pursuit, but I remember reading about Man United, the typical thing. I’m not certain if it was accurate, but even if they had called, I would have wanted to stay at the club. It’s a privilege.”
Real Sociedad release pressure with surreal victory in Basque derby like no other
At the training ground, the Basque Country, the early training is set to begin; following that, the brief trip to Loiu airport and a further journey to Britain, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the European elite competition on the upcoming match. Mentioning that phrase lights him up. It’s turning out to be a tough year for the club, due in part to the demands of their participation. Losing in stoppage time in the derby on Saturday, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and been defeated by Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in European competition. But, take in the big picture, the big nights he has lived and upcoming events, and he feels a calm gratitude from him.
In the three years since he had returned to the club, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, prevented from reaching a domestic final by the English giants, and has traveled on a traditional boat along the Nervión river surrounded by countless supporters after winning the Copa del Rey, the first title in four decades. Now he is the top goal-getter in the UCL, where they are countercultural and debuting in a decade. “I never imagined this,” he says.
He considered it hard enough just to make the first team and his assessment was correct. Born to the ex-La Real star his father and a regular attendee at the club that are now his rivals, Gorka is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that developed Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola. His move to Athletic came at his teens but after making his senior debut in the 2018 season, he experienced a torn cruciate, dropped, a drop in category and a call back before he could earn his place, returning at 26 to experience the peak of their lives.
“You go into the academy doubting you’ll make the senior squad but with every stage you go through you’re remaining and you can notice the proximity. You arrive and then … you’re sent away.” He had limited game time in a handful of matches between his bow and early 2019. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games with them and I tear my cruciate.
“A massive setback but I look back on it as a turning point because it shifted the way I saw things. Healing from a serious ailment is hard, but it aids growth. You adopt practices new to you. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then return home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, you have everything, so do everything. Practice, prevention. Hit the weights. If your hips aren’t balanced, work on that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, enhance it further. Every small aspect: do them.
“Among professionals you’re going to crash into players who have experienced contact repeatedly. They’re so strong. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. Thus incidents occur. Present-day images and it’s totally different. Injury made me see that. Sessions end, but further effort is needed. Everyone else is ready, really ready; no exceptions.”
Game time is essential. Guruzeta departed in tears in the pandemic season, in his early twenties, joining the second tier. During his Sabadell spell in the 20-21 campaign, he scored three times in 40 games. With Amorebieta in the following period, the goals started to flow. “It’s a common path: temporary moves, ended deals. With a turnaround, dedication, confidence, and if one day a vacancy arises in your position, recall is possible. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, an aspiration fulfilled. Lifting the cup, play in Europe, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
Little surprise he states this is to be enjoyed. Particularly after last year which, on occasions, was focused on persistence. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
