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

Thehe debut appearance Gorka Guruzeta featured in England, an young playing for the reserve team against German opponents at Adams Park in September 2015, he hit the target. The second time he appeared in the country, against the Black Cats weeks after, he scored. His third outing, against the Citizens not long later, indeed, he scored again. When he returned to the northwest to play against the Red Devils at Leigh’s ground in 2017, he did it once more. A spectacular strike, too. “In fact,” he states, “it ranks among my finest I’ve ever scored.” So Athletic did what they had to do: they substituted him.

“I became very upset,” the forward says, and then he starts laughing. “I’m sure there’s footage. We went to play United and I was pretty good. They didn’t let me play the latter period: I was without a signed my contract, goals were flowing, speculation was rife, you know how it is. I don’t know about 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 the club. It’s a privilege.”

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At Lezama, the city, the morning session is set to begin; post-session, the brief trip to the airport and another trip to England, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the UCL on the upcoming match. Uttering the name lights him up. This is proving a challenging campaign for the club, partly because of the demands of competing at this level. Defeated late on in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side in European competition. Yet, consider the broader view, the big nights he has lived and upcoming events, and a sense of thankful reflection from him.

In the the period since he had rejoined the team, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, stopped at the gates a domestic final by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river flanked by a million fans after winning the Copa del Rey, the club’s first trophy in a long wait. Currently he stands as Athletic’s top scorer in the UCL, where they are countercultural and returning after absence in a decade. “This was beyond my dreams,” he admits.

The player believed it difficult enough just to break into the senior squad and he was right. Born to the ex-La Real star Xabi Guruzeta and a regular attendee at the team he now opposes, Gorka is a graduate of Antiguoko, the local academy that developed the Arsenal manager, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at seventeen but after making his senior debut in that summer, he went through a serious knee problem, being released, a demotion and a return before he could finally secure an opportunity, coming back aged 26 to enjoy the highlights of his career.

“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the first team but with every stage you advance through you’re still there and you can observe the approach. You make it and … you’re sent away.” He featured briefly in six matches in a handful of matches between his debut and that period. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games at that level and I tear my cruciate.

“A massive setback but I look back on it as a beneficial experience because it made me change the outlook. The rehabilitation process is difficult, but it aids growth. You adopt practices previously lacking. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I attended practice and then go home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Work, precaution. Get in the gym. If your hips aren’t balanced, work on that. If your ankles are a 10, enhance it further. All the minor details: do them.

“At the top level you’re going to crash into players who have experienced contact countless occasions. Extremely powerful. Reviewing old images: I had slender legs. Injuries are inevitable. Present-day images and the change is dramatic. Recovery revealed that. Sessions end, but additional work remains. Teammates are set, really ready; you have to be too.”

You also have to play. Guruzeta departed upset in 2020, in his early twenties, joining the second tier. At Sabadell in 2020-21, he netted three goals in forty appearances. At Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the he found his form. “Many experience this: transfers, releases. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and when eventually a vacancy arises in your position, recall is possible. 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.”

Little surprise he states this is to be enjoyed. All the more so after the prior campaign which, on occasions, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with a high tally, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|