‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s road from injury table to success with Athletic
The initial occasion the Athletic striker competed in England, an young playing for Athletic Bilbao B against German opponents at Wycombe’s stadium in September 2015, he scored. During his subsequent match he took the field in England, against Sunderland weeks after, he converted. Another occasion, against Manchester City six weeks after that, indeed, he scored again. As he revisited to the city to face United at Leigh Sports Village in 2017, he did it once more. An excellent finish, too. “In fact,” he says, “it’s one of the best goals in my career.” Thus the club did their duty: he was replaced.
“I got well angry,” the forward reveals, 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 second half: my contract wasn’t finalized deal, goals were flowing, many stories circulated, as you’d expect. I don’t know about Newcastle being interested, but I came across reports about Man United, the usual talk. I’m not certain how true it was, but even if they had called, my desire was to remain at the club. It’s a privilege.”
Real Sociedad release pressure with surreal victory in Basque derby like no other
At the training ground, Bilbao, the day’s first practice is about to start; post-session, the brief trip to Loiu and another trip to the UK, this time to face Newcastle in the Champions League on the upcoming match. Just saying those two words makes Guruzeta smile. This is proving a difficult season for Athletic, due in part to the pressures of competing at this level. Beaten in added time in the weekend clash, they have managed just one win of their recent league fixtures and been defeated by Arsenal and Dortmund in the continental stage. Yet, consider the broader view, the major occasions he’s experienced and upcoming events, and a sense of thankful reflection about him.
In the three years since he had rejoined the team, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, stopped at the gates a final at home by United, and has traveled on a traditional boat along the Nervión river flanked by a million fans after lifting the trophy, the club’s first trophy in 40 years. Currently he stands as the top goal-getter in the UCL, where they are distinctive and debuting in ten years. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
He considered it hard enough just to earn a spot and that proved true. Born to the former Real Sociedad player the former professional and a dedicated fan at the opposition side, the forward is a product of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that developed the coach, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola. He joined Athletic at his teens but after making his senior debut in that summer, he went through a ACL injury, dropped, a demotion and a return before he could finally secure an opportunity, making his comeback to enjoy the highlights of their lives.
“Entering the youth system doubting you’ll make the senior squad but every phase you progress through you’re remaining and you can notice the proximity. You make it and … departure is necessary.” He had limited game time in six games between his debut and early 2019. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches at that level and my knee gave way.
“A severe disappointment but I reflect on it as a beneficial experience because it forced me to alter the way I saw things. Recovering from a long-term injury is challenging, but it helps. You adopt practices previously lacking. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I would go to training and then go home, typical youth behavior. At Lezama, all resources are available, so do everything. Work, precaution. Hit the weights. With hip imbalance, address that. With decent ankle function, improve it more. Every small aspect: perform them.
“Among professionals you’re going to crash into players who have been in battles countless occasions. Extremely powerful. Seeing previous pictures: 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.”
Game time is essential. He left upset in that year, at 23 years old, dropping into the second division. With Sabadell in 2020-21, he netted three goals in forty appearances. With Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the goals started to flow. “It’s a common path: loans, terminated contracts. If you turn it round, work, believe, and if one day they need someone in your position, they might come back for you. Readiness is vital. When they decided to call again, it was a dream come true. The trophy success, European football, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
No wonder he says appreciate the experience. Especially after the previous season which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. From top scorer with sixteen goals, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
