‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s journey from rehabilitation to scoring with Athletic
The debut appearance Gorka Guruzeta played in England, an young playing for the reserve team against German opponents at the English ground in fall 2015, he hit the target. During his subsequent match he played in the country, against Sunderland following that, he netted. His third outing, against the Citizens six weeks after that, sure enough, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to Manchester to face United at Leigh’s ground in the 2017 season, he did it once more. A spectacular strike, too. “Truly,” he remarks, “it’s a top-class goal in my career.” So Athletic did their duty: he was replaced.
“I got well angry,” the Athletic striker says, and then he starts laughing. “Probably there’s a recording. We traveled to face United and I was in fine form. I wasn’t allowed to feature the latter period: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, I kept finding the net, speculation was rife, you know how it is. I don’t know about Newcastle being interested, but I remember reading about Manchester United, 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.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At Lezama, Bilbao, the early training is set to begin; post-session, the brief trip to Loiu airport and a further journey to Britain, now to face Newcastle in the Champions League on midweek. Mentioning that phrase makes Guruzeta smile. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for Athletic, due in part to the pressures of their participation. Losing in stoppage time in the derby on Saturday, they have won only one of their past eight league games and been defeated by Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in European competition. But, consider the broader view, the major occasions he’s experienced and those that lie ahead, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation from him.
In the 36 months since he had come back to Athletic, the striker has been a semi-final participant, stopped at the gates a final at home by United, and has ridden an historic vessel along the Nervión river flanked by countless supporters after securing the Spanish cup, the first title in a long wait. Now he is the top goal-getter in the Champions League, where they are unique and making their first appearance in a long period. “I never imagined this,” he states.
Guruzeta thought it challenging enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. As the child of the former Real Sociedad player his father and a regular attendee at the opposition side, Gorka is a product of Antiguoko, the local academy that produced the coach, the former star and Andoni Iraola. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after his first-team bow in August 2018, he experienced a serious knee problem, dropped, a demotion and a return before he could finally secure an opportunity, making his comeback to live the best days of his career.
“Entering the youth system doubting you’ll make the senior squad but with every stage you go through you’re remaining and you can see it getting closer. You arrive and then … you’re sent away.” He had limited game time in six games between his bow and that period. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games there and my knee gave way.
“It was a huge blow but In retrospect as a turning point because it shifted the way I saw things. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it’s beneficial. You develop habits previously lacking. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I did the sessions and then go home, as a youngster does. At the complex, you have everything, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Hit the weights. If your hips aren’t balanced, correct it. If your ankles are a 10, make it a 12 or a 14. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.
“In the first team you’re going to crash into players who have crashed into players countless occasions. They’re so strong. Seeing previous pictures: my legs are chicken legs. Injuries are inevitable. Current photos and the change is dramatic. Injury made me see that. Practice concludes, but further effort is needed. Teammates are set, really ready; no exceptions.”
Minutes are crucial. He left upset in that year, in his early twenties, dropping into the second division. With Sabadell in 2020-21, he got three strikes in forty appearances. At Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: loans, terminated contracts. Should you reverse it, dedication, confidence, and if one day a vacancy arises for your role, a return could happen. Preparation is key. When the opportunity came, a fantasy realized. The trophy success, compete continentally, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Little surprise he states this is to be enjoyed. All the more so after the previous season which, on occasions, was about endurance. Previously the main threat with sixteen goals, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
