‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s road from rehabilitation to goals with Athletic Bilbao
The debut appearance Gorka Guruzeta featured in English soil, an 18-year-old playing for the youth squad against German opponents at Wycombe’s stadium in the 2015 season, he scored. The second time he played in the country, against the English side weeks after, he scored. The third time, against Manchester City soon after, sure enough, he did it once more. Upon his comeback to Manchester to face United at Leigh’s ground in 2017, he found the back of the net. A spectacular strike, also. “In fact,” he remarks, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did their duty: they substituted him.
“I became very upset,” the attacker reveals, before breaking into laughter. “I’m sure there’s footage. We went to play United and I was pretty good. They didn’t let me play the final 45 minutes: I hadn’t yet signed my contract, I kept finding the net, speculation was rife, you know how it is. I’m unsure regarding the Magpies’ pursuit, but I remember reading about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. I’m not certain the validity, but supposing an offer came, my desire was to remain at Bilbao. I’m fortunate to be here.”
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At the facility, Bilbao, the day’s first practice is about to start; following that, the quick travel to Loiu airport and a further journey to the UK, now to play Newcastle in the UCL on the upcoming match. Uttering the name brings a smile to his face. This is proving a challenging campaign for the team, due in part to the pressures of their participation. Losing in stoppage time in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their recent league fixtures and lost against Arsenal and the German side 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 within him.
In the the period since he had come back to Athletic, Guruzeta has been a Europa League semi-finalist, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway accompanied by countless supporters after lifting the trophy, the first title in a long wait. He’s now the club’s leading marksman in the UCL, where they are unique and debuting in a long period. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
Guruzeta thought it challenging enough just to make the first team and his assessment was correct. The son of the ex-La Real star the former professional and a regular attendee at the opposition side, the forward is from the Antiguoko academy, the local academy that developed the Arsenal manager, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola. He joined Athletic at seventeen but after his first-team bow in August 2018, he went through a serious knee problem, dropped, a relegation and a call back before he could earn his place, coming back aged 26 to live the best days of their lives.
“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the senior squad but each step you go through you’re remaining and you can see it getting closer. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He had limited game time in a handful of matches between his bow and early 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games there and I suffered the ACL injury.
“It was a huge blow but I reflect on it as a turning point because it made me change the way I saw things. Healing from a serious ailment is challenging, but it’s beneficial. You adopt practices new to you. It’s not about neglect, but I did the sessions and then go home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, facilities are comprehensive, so do everything. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, work on that. If your ankles are a 10, improve it more. All the minor details: execute them.
“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have crashed into players countless occasions. They’re so strong. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. Thus incidents occur. Present-day images and the improvement is clear. The setback taught me. Practice concludes, but there’s more to do. Teammates are set, really ready; no exceptions.”
You also have to play. Guruzeta departed upset in that year, in his early twenties, joining the second tier. At Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he netted three goals in forty appearances. During his Amorebieta stint in the latter part of the season, the goals started to flow. “Many experience this: loans, terminated contracts. Should you reverse it, work, believe, and should the time come a vacancy arises in your position, they might come back for you. Readiness is vital. When they decided to call again, it was a dream come true. To then win the Copa del Rey, compete continentally, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks savor the moment. Particularly after the prior campaign which, at times, was about endurance. From top scorer with sixteen goals, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
