‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s road from injury table to success with Athletic

The first time Gorka Guruzeta competed in England, an young representing the youth squad against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at the English ground in September 2015, he found the net. The second time he took the field in the country, against the English side weeks after, he netted. The third time, against Pep Guardiola’s team soon after, sure enough, he scored again. As he revisited to the northwest to face United at the sports complex in 2017, he scored again. A spectacular strike, also. “In fact,” he states, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve ever scored.” So Athletic did what they had to do: they substituted him.

“I got well angry,” the Athletic striker says, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They didn’t let me play the second half: my contract wasn’t finalized agreement, goals were flowing, many stories circulated, you know how it is. I don’t know about Newcastle being interested, but I remember reading about Man United, the usual talk. I’m not certain how true it was, but supposing an offer came, I would have wanted to stay at Athletic. It’s a privilege.”

La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph

At the facility, the Basque Country, the early training is ready to commence; following that, the quick travel to the airport and a further journey to Britain, this time to take on the Magpies in the UCL on the upcoming match. Mentioning that phrase brings a smile to his face. It has become a challenging campaign for the team, partially owing to the demands of competing at this level. Defeated late on in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their recent league fixtures and lost against Arsenal and the German side in Europe. Yet, look at the overall situation, the major occasions he’s experienced and future challenges, and he feels a calm gratitude about him.

In the the period since he had returned to the club, Gorka has been a final four contender in Europe, stopped at the gates a domestic final by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway surrounded by a million fans after lifting the trophy, the team’s initial silverware in four decades. Currently he stands as Athletic’s top scorer in the European competition, where they are countercultural and returning after absence in a decade. “I never imagined this,” he says.

Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to earn a spot and that proved true. The son of the ex-La Real star Xabi Guruzeta and a regular attendee at the opposition side, the forward is from the Antiguoko academy, the local academy that nurtured Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and the Bournemouth manager. He joined Athletic at his teens but after his first-team bow in the 2018 season, he suffered a torn cruciate, being released, a drop in category and a call back before he could earn his place, returning at 26 to live the best days of the club’s history.

“Entering the youth system thinking you won’t reach the senior squad but each step you advance through you’re still there and you can notice the proximity. You get there but … you have to leave.” He had limited game time in half a dozen appearances between his debut 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 tear my cruciate.

“A massive setback but I look back on it as a turning point because it made me change the perspective. Recovering from a long-term injury is difficult, but it’s beneficial. You adopt practices you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I would go to training and then go home, typical youth behavior. At the complex, facilities are comprehensive, so do everything. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. If your hips aren’t balanced, correct it. If your ankles are a 10, enhance it further. All the minor details: perform them.

“At the top level you’re going to crash into players who have experienced contact 200,000 times. They’re so strong. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Current photos and it’s totally different. The setback taught me. Practice concludes, but there’s more to do. Everyone else is ready, really ready; the same applies.”

Game time is essential. He left in tears in that year, aged 23, joining the second tier. At Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he scored three times in forty appearances. At Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the he found his form. “It’s a common path: loans, terminated contracts. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and if one day the requirement appears in your position, a return could happen. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, an aspiration fulfilled. The trophy success, play in Europe, and make the UCL … pfff.”

Understandably he remarks savor the moment. Especially after the prior campaign which, at times, was involved suffering. After being leading scorer with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|