‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s path from injury table to scoring with the Basque club
Whenhe debut appearance the Spanish forward competed in the UK, an teenage representing the youth squad against German opponents at Wycombe’s stadium in September 2015, he found the net. During his subsequent match he played in British turf, against Sunderland following that, he netted. Another occasion, against Manchester City soon after, indeed, he repeated the feat. Upon his comeback to the northwest to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in 2017, he found the back of the net. It was a superb volley, also. “Actually,” he states, “it ranks among my finest I’ve ever scored.” So Athletic did what was necessary: he was replaced.
“I got well angry,” the forward admits, and then he starts laughing. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I was pretty good. I wasn’t allowed to feature the latter period: my contract wasn’t finalized deal, I was scoring goals, many stories circulated, you know how it is. I’m unsure regarding the Magpies’ pursuit, but I remember reading about Manchester United, the usual talk. I have no idea the validity, but had they contacted me, I’d have chosen to stay at Bilbao. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At the facility, the city, the early training is set to begin; post-session, the quick travel to Loiu airport and another flight to England, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the European elite competition on Wednesday. Mentioning that phrase makes Guruzeta smile. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for the club, due in part to the demands of their participation. Beaten in added time in the weekend clash, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and fallen to the Gunners and Borussia Dortmund in the continental stage. But, consider the broader view, the big nights he has lived and upcoming events, and a sense of thankful reflection within him.
In the three years since he had rejoined the team, Guruzeta has been a Europa League semi-finalist, denied at the last hurdle a domestic final by the English giants, and has traveled on a traditional boat through the waterway accompanied by a huge crowd after securing the Spanish cup, the club’s first trophy in four decades. Currently he stands as the top goal-getter in the European competition, where they are distinctive and debuting in a long period. “I never imagined this,” he says.
The player believed it hard enough just to earn a spot and his assessment was correct. As the child of the one-time rival player his father and a dedicated fan at the club that are now his rivals, Gorka is from the Antiguoko academy, the Donostiarra team that developed the coach, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at his teens but after his top-level debut in August 2018, he went through a ACL injury, being released, a demotion and a call back before he could earn his place, returning at 26 to experience the peak of his career.
“Joining the setup not expecting to reach the first team but every phase you progress through you’re remaining and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in half a dozen appearances between his first game and February 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games there and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A severe disappointment but I reflect on it as a beneficial experience because it made me change the way I saw things. The rehabilitation process is hard, but it helps. You develop habits previously lacking. Previously I was casual, but I did the sessions and then head home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, you have everything, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Strength training. With hip imbalance, work on that. With decent ankle function, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.
“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have experienced contact 200,000 times. Extremely powerful. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Present-day images and it’s totally different. Injury made me see that. Practice concludes, but additional work remains. Peers are prepared, really ready; the same applies.”
Minutes are crucial. Guruzeta departed in tears in that year, in his early twenties, dropping into the second division. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he got three strikes in 40 games. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the scoring picked up. “Many experience this: transfers, releases. Should you reverse it, work, believe, and if one day the requirement appears where you play, they might come back for you. You have to be ready. When they decided to call again, a fantasy realized. To then win the Copa del Rey, compete continentally, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks this is to be enjoyed. Especially after the previous season which, on occasions, was involved suffering. From top scorer with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
