‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s road from injury table to scoring with Athletic
Thehe initial occasion Gorka Guruzeta played in England, an teenage appearing for the reserve team against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at the English ground in fall 2015, he scored. During his subsequent match he appeared in England, against Sunderland following that, he netted. His third outing, against the Citizens soon after, indeed, he scored again. When he returned to the city to face United at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he found the back of the net. An excellent finish, too. “Truly,” he says, “it’s a top-class goal in my career.” Thus the club did their duty: they took him off.
“I became very upset,” the attacker admits, and then he starts laughing. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the second half: my contract wasn’t finalized my contract, I kept finding the net, speculation was rife, you know how it is. I’m unsure regarding Newcastle being interested, but I recall seeing about Manchester United, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea how true it was, but even if they had called, I’d have chosen to stay at Athletic. It’s a privilege.”
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At Lezama, Bilbao, the early training is set to begin; following that, the brief trip to the airport and another trip to England, this time to face Newcastle in the UCL on midweek. Just saying those two words lights him up. It’s turning out to be a tough year for Athletic, partly because of the demands of their participation. Losing in stoppage time in the derby on Saturday, they have secured just a single victory of their recent league fixtures and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side in Europe. Yet, take in the big picture, the big nights he has lived and those that lie ahead, and he feels a calm gratitude within him.
In the three years since he had returned to the club, Gorka has been a Europa League semi-finalist, prevented from reaching a final at home by Manchester United, and has ridden an historic vessel through the waterway surrounded by a million fans after winning the Copa del Rey, the first title in four decades. Currently he stands as Athletic’s top scorer in the UCL, where they are distinctive and debuting in a long period. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
He considered it challenging enough just to earn a spot and his assessment was correct. The son of the former Real Sociedad player the former professional and a season ticket holder at the club that are now his rivals, Guruzeta is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that produced the Arsenal manager, the legendary midfielder and the tactician. He joined Athletic at his teens but after his top-level debut in August 2018, he went through a ACL injury, the cut, a demotion and a recall before he could truly get a chance, coming back aged 26 to experience the peak of the club’s history.
“Entering the youth system thinking you won’t reach the senior squad but with every stage you go through you’re persisting and you can see it getting closer. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He had limited game time in six games between his first game and February 2019. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches at that level and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A massive setback but In retrospect as something positive because it made me change the perspective. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it helps. You develop habits new to you. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then go home, typical youth behavior. At Lezama, facilities are comprehensive, so do everything. Practice, prevention. Get in the gym. Should your hips be uneven, work on that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, improve it more. Every small aspect: execute them.
“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have been in battles repeatedly. Extremely powerful. Reviewing old images: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Look at pictures of me now and the change is dramatic. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but further effort is needed. Peers are prepared, really ready; no exceptions.”
You also have to play. Guruzeta departed in tears in the pandemic season, at 23 years old, moving to a lower level. With Sabadell in 2020-21, he scored three times in numerous matches. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: temporary moves, ended deals. With a turnaround, effort, faith, and if one day the requirement appears for your role, they might come back for you. Readiness is vital. Upon the recall, a fantasy realized. To then win the Copa del Rey, play in Europe, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
No wonder he says this is to be enjoyed. Especially after last year which, at times, was about endurance. After being leading scorer with 16 in 2023-24, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
