‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s journey from rehabilitation to goals with the Basque club
Whenhe first time the Spanish forward played in the UK, an young appearing for the youth squad against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at the English ground in fall 2015, he hit the target. On his next visit he took the field in the country, against the Black Cats following that, he converted. His third outing, against the Citizens soon after, well, he repeated the feat. When he returned to the northwest to take on Manchester United at Leigh’s ground in 2017, he found the back of the net. It was a superb volley, also. “Truly,” he says, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve netted.” So Athletic did their duty: they substituted him.
“I became very upset,” the Athletic striker reveals, before breaking into laughter. “Probably there’s a recording. We traveled to face United and I performed well. They didn’t let me play the second half: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, I kept finding the net, speculation was rife, it’s typical. No confirmation on Newcastle being interested, but I came across reports about Manchester United, the usual talk. I have no idea how true it was, but had they contacted me, my desire was to remain at Bilbao. I feel lucky to be here.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At Lezama, the Basque Country, the early training is set to begin; after it, the brief trip to the airport and another trip to England, now to face Newcastle in the European elite competition on the upcoming match. Uttering the name lights him up. This is proving a challenging campaign for the team, partly because of the demands of competing at this level. Beaten in added time in the derby on Saturday, they have secured just a single victory of their recent league fixtures and lost against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in the continental stage. However, consider the broader view, the major occasions he’s experienced and those that lie ahead, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation about him.
In the the period since he had come back to Athletic, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, prevented from reaching the showpiece event by Manchester United, and has ridden an historic vessel along the Nervión river accompanied by countless supporters after securing the Spanish cup, the team’s initial silverware in a long wait. Now he is Athletic’s top scorer in the Champions League, where they are distinctive and debuting in ten years. “This was beyond my dreams,” he admits.
He considered it hard enough just to break into the senior squad and he was right. As the child of the ex-La Real star his father and a dedicated fan at the club that are now his rivals, Guruzeta is a graduate of Antiguoko, the local academy that nurtured the coach, the former star and the tactician. He signed for Athletic at seventeen but after his top-level debut in that summer, he experienced a serious knee problem, the cut, a relegation and a recall before he could truly get a chance, returning at 26 to experience the peak of his career.
“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the top level but every phase you go through you’re remaining and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … you’re sent away.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in half a dozen appearances between his bow and that period. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances with them and I tear my cruciate.
“A massive setback but I reflect on it as something positive because it shifted the way I saw things. Healing from a serious ailment is hard, but it aids growth. You adopt practices you didn’t have. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I attended practice and then head home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, facilities are comprehensive, so take full advantage. Work, precaution. Strength training. With hip imbalance, address that. With decent ankle function, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.
“In the first team you’re going to crash into players who have been in battles countless occasions. Highly robust. Reviewing old images: my legs are chicken legs. Injuries are inevitable. Present-day images and the improvement is clear. Recovery revealed that. Sessions end, but there’s more to do. Everyone else is ready, really ready; the same applies.”
Minutes are crucial. Guruzeta departed emotionally in the pandemic season, in his early twenties, joining the second tier. During his Sabadell spell in that season, he got three strikes in numerous matches. With Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the goals started to flow. “Many experience this: transfers, releases. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and when eventually the requirement appears where you play, they might come back for you. Preparation is key. When the opportunity came, a fantasy realized. To then win the Copa del Rey, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks appreciate the experience. Particularly after the previous season which, at times, was focused on persistence. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
