‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s path from injury table to success with Athletic

Thehe debut appearance Gorka Guruzeta played in English soil, an young appearing for Athletic Bilbao B against Bundesliga youth at Wycombe’s stadium in fall 2015, he hit the target. The second time he took the field in British turf, against Sunderland following that, he netted. His third outing, against Pep Guardiola’s team soon after, sure enough, he scored again. When he returned to the city to play against the Red Devils at Leigh’s ground in that year, he scored again. A spectacular strike, as well. “In fact,” he says, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve ever scored.” So Athletic did what was necessary: they took him off.

“I got well angry,” the attacker admits, and then he starts laughing. “Probably there’s a recording. Our match against United and I performed well. I wasn’t allowed to feature the final 45 minutes: my contract wasn’t finalized deal, I was scoring goals, there were lots of rumours, as you’d expect. I don’t know about interest from Newcastle, but I recall seeing about Man United, the usual talk. It’s unclear the validity, but supposing an offer came, I would have wanted to stay at Athletic. I feel lucky to be here.”

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At Lezama, the city, the day’s first practice is about to start; after it, the quick travel to the airport and a further journey to England, this time to play Newcastle in the Champions League on Wednesday. Just saying those two words lights him up. It has become a challenging campaign for Athletic, due in part to the demands of being here. Defeated late on in the derby on Saturday, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and fallen to the Gunners and the German side in European competition. But, take in the big picture, the memorable evenings and future challenges, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation about him.

In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, the striker has been a final four contender in Europe, denied at the last hurdle a domestic final by the English giants, and has traveled on a traditional boat up the Nervión estuary flanked by countless supporters after securing the Spanish cup, the team’s initial silverware in four decades. Currently he stands as the top goal-getter in the UCL, where they are countercultural and debuting in ten years. “This was beyond my dreams,” he admits.

The player believed it hard enough just to make the first team and his assessment was correct. The son of the ex-La Real star Xabi Guruzeta and a regular attendee at the opposition side, the forward is a product of Antiguoko, the local academy that developed the coach, Xabi Alonso and the Bournemouth manager. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after his first-team bow in August 2018, he experienced a serious knee problem, the cut, a demotion and a call back before he could finally secure an opportunity, coming back aged 26 to enjoy the highlights of their lives.

“You go into the academy doubting you’ll make the top level but every phase you advance through you’re still there and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … departure is necessary.” He had limited game time in half a dozen appearances between his debut and that period. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances there and my knee gave way.

“A severe disappointment but I reflect on it as something positive because it forced me to alter the way I saw things. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it’s beneficial. You adopt practices new to you. It’s not about neglect, but I would go to training and then go home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, you have everything, so do everything. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, work on that. With decent ankle function, make it a 12 or a 14. Every small aspect: perform them.

“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have experienced contact 200,000 times. They’re so strong. Seeing previous pictures: my physique was slight. Thus incidents occur. Current photos and it’s totally different. The setback taught me. Training finishes, but additional work remains. Everyone else is ready, really ready; no exceptions.”

You also have to play. The striker moved upset in that year, aged 23, moving to a lower level. At Sabadell in that season, he scored three times in numerous matches. At Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the he found his form. “Many experience this: transfers, releases. If you turn it round, dedication, confidence, and when eventually the requirement appears where you play, a return could happen. Preparation is key. When the opportunity came, it was a dream come true. Lifting the cup, compete continentally, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”

Little surprise he states appreciate the experience. Particularly after the previous season which, on occasions, was about endurance. After being leading scorer with a high tally, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|