‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s path from gurney to goals with the Basque club
Whenhe first time Gorka Guruzeta played in the UK, an young appearing for the reserve team against German opponents at the English ground in September 2015, he hit the target. The second time he appeared in the country, against the English side weeks after, he converted. The third time, against the Citizens not long later, sure enough, he did it once more. As he revisited to Manchester to face United at Leigh’s ground in 2017, he did it once more. An excellent finish, too. “Truly,” he remarks, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve netted.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they took him off.
“I became very upset,” the attacker reveals, and then he starts laughing. “There must be a video somewhere. Our match against United and I performed well. I wasn’t allowed to feature the second half: I was without a signed agreement, goals were flowing, many stories circulated, you know how it is. I don’t know about interest from Newcastle, but I recall seeing about Man United, standard transfer gossip. I’m not certain if it was accurate, but had they contacted me, I would have wanted to stay at Athletic. It’s a privilege.”
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At the training ground, the Basque Country, the morning session is ready to commence; after it, the quick travel to Loiu airport and a further journey to Britain, on this occasion to face Newcastle in the European elite competition on midweek. Mentioning that phrase brings a smile to his face. This is proving a challenging campaign for Athletic, due in part to the demands of competing at this level. Defeated late on in the derby on Saturday, they have managed just one win of their recent league fixtures and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side in Europe. However, look at the overall situation, the big nights he has lived and those that lie ahead, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation about him.
In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, Guruzeta has been a final four contender in Europe, denied at the last hurdle a domestic final by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary flanked by a million fans after securing the Spanish cup, the club’s first trophy in four decades. He’s now the club’s leading marksman in the European competition, where they are unique and making their first appearance in a decade. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he states.
The player believed it challenging enough just to make the first team and his assessment was correct. Born to the former Real Sociedad player Xabi Guruzeta and a season ticket holder at the team he now opposes, Gorka is a product of Antiguoko, the local academy that developed Mikel Arteta, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at his teens but after making his senior debut in that summer, he suffered a torn cruciate, dropped, a relegation and a call back before he could finally secure an opportunity, coming back aged 26 to live the best days of the club’s history.
“You go into the academy not expecting to reach the top level but with every stage you progress through you’re still there and you can see it getting closer. You get there but … departure is necessary.” He had limited game time in a handful of matches between his first game and February 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games at that level and I tear my cruciate.
“A massive setback but I reflect on it as something positive because it shifted the outlook. Healing from a serious ailment is difficult, but it aids growth. You cultivate routines you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I did the sessions and then return home, as a youngster does. At the complex, you have everything, so do everything. Practice, prevention. Hit the weights. With hip imbalance, work on that. With decent ankle function, make it a 12 or a 14. All the minor details: perform them.
“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have been in battles 200,000 times. Highly robust. Reviewing old images: my legs are chicken legs. Injuries are inevitable. Present-day images and the improvement is clear. The setback taught me. Practice concludes, but further effort is needed. Everyone else is ready, really ready; no exceptions.”
Game time is essential. He left upset in that year, aged 23, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in 2020-21, he got three strikes in numerous matches. At Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the scoring picked up. “Many experience this: transfers, releases. Should you reverse it, work, believe, and should the time come a vacancy arises for your role, they might come back for you. Preparation is key. Upon the recall, a fantasy realized. The trophy success, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
No wonder he says savor the moment. All the more so after the previous season which, sometimes, was involved suffering. After being leading scorer with a high tally, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
