‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s journey from gurney to scoring with Athletic Bilbao

Whenhe debut appearance the Athletic striker featured in England, an young playing for the youth squad against German opponents at Wycombe’s stadium in fall 2015, he scored. During his subsequent match he took the field in British turf, against Sunderland two months later, he scored. The third time, against the Citizens soon after, indeed, he did it once more. Upon his comeback to the northwest to face United at Leigh Sports Village in 2017, he did it once more. It was a superb volley, too. “In fact,” he says, “it ranks among my finest I’ve netted.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they substituted him.

“I got well angry,” the forward admits, then chuckling. “Probably there’s a recording. We traveled to face United and I was in fine form. They kept me out of the second half: my contract wasn’t finalized agreement, I kept finding the net, there were lots of rumours, you know how it is. I’m unsure regarding the Magpies’ pursuit, but I came across reports about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. It’s unclear how true it was, but even if they had called, my desire was to remain at Athletic. I feel lucky to be here.”

Real Sociedad release pressure with surreal victory in Basque derby like no other

At the training ground, the Basque Country, the morning session is ready to commence; post-session, the brief trip to Loiu airport and a further journey to Britain, this time to take on the Magpies in the European elite competition on midweek. Uttering the name brings a smile to his face. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for Athletic, partially owing to the pressures of their participation. Defeated late on in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and lost against Arsenal and Dortmund in the continental stage. Yet, take in the big picture, the major occasions he’s experienced and those that lie ahead, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation within him.

In the 36 months since he had come back to Athletic, Gorka has been a final four contender in Europe, stopped at the gates a final at home by United, and has traveled on a traditional boat up the Nervión estuary accompanied by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the first title in a long wait. Now he is Athletic’s top scorer in the European competition, where they are unique and debuting in a decade. “I never imagined this,” he says.

He considered it difficult enough just to earn a spot and his assessment was correct. As the child of the ex-La Real star the former professional and a season ticket holder at the club that are now his rivals, Gorka is a product of Antiguoko, the San Sebastián club that produced the Arsenal manager, the legendary midfielder and the tactician. He signed for Athletic at 17 but after his top-level debut in that summer, he experienced a torn cruciate, being released, a demotion and a return before he could finally secure an opportunity, making his comeback to live the best days of their lives.

“Joining the setup thinking you won’t reach the top level but each step you advance through you’re still there and you can observe the approach. You make it and … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in a handful of matches between his bow and that period. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games there and I tear my cruciate.

“It was a huge blow but I look back on it as a turning point because it shifted the outlook. Healing from a serious ailment is challenging, but it’s beneficial. You develop habits new to you. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then return home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, all resources are available, so do everything. Practice, prevention. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, address that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, make it a 12 or a 14. All the minor details: perform them.

“At the top level you’re going to crash into players who have experienced contact 200,000 times. Highly robust. Seeing previous pictures: I had slender legs. Thus incidents occur. Current photos and the improvement is clear. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but there’s more to do. Everyone else is ready, really ready; no exceptions.”

Minutes are crucial. Guruzeta departed in tears in that year, at 23 years old, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in that season, he got three strikes in 40 games. With Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the scoring picked up. “Many experience this: temporary moves, ended deals. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and should the time come the requirement appears for your role, a return could happen. Readiness is vital. Upon the recall, it was a dream come true. Lifting the cup, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”

Little surprise he states this is to be enjoyed. Especially after last year which, at times, was focused on persistence. Previously the main threat with sixteen goals, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|