‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s journey from gurney to success with the Basque club
The first time Gorka Guruzeta competed in English soil, an young representing Athletic Bilbao B against German opponents at the English ground in fall 2015, he scored. During his subsequent match he took the field in the country, against Sunderland following that, he scored. Another occasion, against Manchester City not long later, indeed, he did it once more. When he returned to Manchester to play against the Red Devils at Leigh Sports Village in the 2017 season, he did it once more. An excellent finish, too. “In fact,” he remarks, “it’s one of the best goals in my career.” Thus the club did their duty: they substituted him.
“I became very upset,” the forward admits, and then he starts laughing. “Probably there’s a recording. We went to play United and I was in fine form. I wasn’t allowed to feature the final 45 minutes: I was without a signed deal, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, as you’d expect. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I remember reading about Man United, the typical thing. I’m not certain how true it was, but supposing an offer came, I would have wanted to stay at Bilbao. I feel lucky to be here.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At Lezama, the city, the morning session is about to start; post-session, the short journey to Loiu and a further journey to the UK, this time to play Newcastle in the UCL on the upcoming match. Mentioning that phrase lights him up. This is proving a challenging campaign for the club, partially owing to the demands of competing at this level. Defeated late on in the local rivalry, they have managed just one win of their last eight matches and fallen to the Gunners and Dortmund in European competition. However, take in the big picture, the major occasions he’s experienced and those that lie ahead, and a sense of thankful reflection from him.
In the 36 months since he had come back to Athletic, Guruzeta has been a Europa League semi-finalist, stopped at the gates a final at home by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway surrounded by countless supporters after securing the Spanish cup, the team’s initial silverware in 40 years. Now he is the club’s leading marksman in the UCL, where they are unique and making their first appearance in ten years. “I never imagined this,” he admits.
The player believed it hard enough just to earn a spot and that proved true. As the child of the one-time rival player Xabi Guruzeta and a season ticket holder at the team he now opposes, Guruzeta is a product of Antiguoko, the local academy that produced Mikel Arteta, the former star and the Bournemouth manager. He joined Athletic at seventeen but after his top-level debut in August 2018, he went through a serious knee problem, the cut, a demotion and a return before he could finally secure an opportunity, coming back aged 26 to live the best days of his career.
“Entering the youth system doubting you’ll make the senior squad but with every stage you progress through you’re remaining and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … departure is necessary.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in six games between his first game and early 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances with them and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A severe disappointment but I look back on it as a turning point because it forced me to alter the way I saw things. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it aids growth. You adopt practices new to you. Previously I was casual, but I did the sessions and then go home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Work, precaution. Get in the gym. If your hips aren’t balanced, work on that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, make it a 12 or a 14. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.
“In the first team you’re going to crash into players who have crashed into players 200,000 times. They’re so strong. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. Injuries are inevitable. Look at pictures of me now and the change is dramatic. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but there’s more to do. Teammates are set, really ready; no exceptions.”
Minutes are crucial. Guruzeta departed in tears in that year, in his early twenties, joining the second tier. At Sabadell in 2020-21, he netted three goals in numerous matches. During his Amorebieta stint in the latter part of the season, the goals started to flow. “Many experience this: temporary moves, ended deals. With a turnaround, work, believe, and should the time come a vacancy arises in your position, a return could happen. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, a fantasy realized. To then win the Copa del Rey, European football, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
No wonder he says appreciate the experience. Particularly after last year which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with a high tally, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|