‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s path from gurney to scoring with Athletic Bilbao

The first time the Spanish forward featured in England, an young representing Athletic Bilbao B against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at Adams Park in September 2015, he hit the target. During his subsequent match he appeared in England, against the Black Cats following that, he netted. His third outing, against Manchester City not long later, indeed, he scored again. When he returned to Manchester to play against the Red Devils at Leigh Sports Village in 2017, he did it once more. It was a superb volley, too. “Actually,” he states, “it ranks among my finest I’ve netted.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they substituted him.

“I got well angry,” the forward admits, and then he starts laughing. “There must be a video somewhere. We went to play United and I was in fine form. I wasn’t allowed to feature the latter period: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, goals were flowing, many stories circulated, as you’d expect. I’m unsure regarding interest from Newcastle, but I remember reading about the Red Devils, the typical thing. It’s unclear the validity, but even if they had called, my desire was to remain at the club. I feel lucky to be here.”

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At the facility, the Basque Country, the morning session is ready to commence; post-session, the brief trip to the airport and another flight to the UK, this time to take on the Magpies in the UCL on Wednesday. Mentioning that phrase brings a smile to his face. It has become a difficult season for Athletic, partly because of the requirements of their participation. Beaten in added time in the weekend clash, they have secured just a single victory of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and Dortmund in European competition. Yet, look at the overall situation, the major occasions he’s experienced and upcoming events, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation about him.

In the the period since he had come back to Athletic, the striker has been a Europa League semi-finalist, stopped at the gates the showpiece event by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary accompanied by countless supporters after winning the Copa del Rey, the team’s initial silverware in four decades. He’s now Athletic’s top scorer in the Champions League, where they are distinctive and returning after absence in a decade. “I never imagined this,” he states.

Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to make the first team and his assessment was correct. Born to the one-time rival player Xabi Guruzeta and a regular attendee at the club that are now his rivals, Gorka is from the Antiguoko academy, the San Sebastián club that produced the coach, Xabi Alonso and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at his teens but after making his senior debut in that summer, he went through a serious knee problem, the cut, a drop in category and a recall before he could earn his place, coming back aged 26 to live the best days of his career.

“Entering the youth system doubting you’ll make the first team but each step you advance through you’re persisting and you can see it getting closer. You arrive and then … you’re sent away.” 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 tear my cruciate.

“A massive setback but In retrospect as a turning point because it made me change the perspective. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it helps. You cultivate routines previously lacking. It’s not about neglect, but I did the sessions and then go home, typical youth behavior. At the complex, you have everything, so take full advantage. Work, precaution. Strength training. If your hips aren’t balanced, work on that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, make it a 12 or a 14. All the minor details: perform them.

“Among professionals you’re going to crash into players who have crashed into players 200,000 times. Highly robust. I look at photos of me before: my physique was slight. Injuries are inevitable. Look at pictures of me now and the change is dramatic. Injury made me see that. Training finishes, but additional work remains. Everyone else is ready, really ready; you have to be too.”

You also have to play. He left upset in the pandemic season, aged 23, dropping into the second division. With Sabadell in that season, he scored three times in 40 games. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: loans, terminated contracts. If you turn it round, work, believe, and if one day the requirement appears for your role, they might come back for you. Preparation is key. When they decided to call again, an aspiration fulfilled. Lifting the cup, European football, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”

No wonder he says appreciate the experience. All the more so after the previous season which, at times, was involved suffering. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|