‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s road from rehabilitation to goals with the Basque club
Thehe debut appearance Gorka Guruzeta competed in England, an young appearing for the youth squad against Bundesliga youth at Adams Park in fall 2015, he found the net. The second time he took the field in England, against Sunderland following that, he scored. The third time, against Pep Guardiola’s team not long later, indeed, he scored again. Upon his comeback to the city to play against the Red Devils at Leigh Sports Village in 2017, he scored again. A spectacular strike, as well. “Actually,” he remarks, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did what was necessary: they took him off.
“I got well angry,” the attacker reveals, then chuckling. “Probably there’s a recording. We went to play 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, as you’d expect. I don’t know about the Magpies’ pursuit, but I came across reports about Man United, the usual talk. I have no idea how true it was, but supposing an offer came, I would have wanted to stay at the club. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At the training ground, Bilbao, the early training is about to start; following that, the quick travel to Loiu airport and a further journey to Britain, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the UCL on midweek. Mentioning that phrase brings a smile to his face. This is proving a challenging campaign for the club, partly because of the demands of being here. Losing in stoppage time in the derby on Saturday, they have won only one of their recent league fixtures and lost against Arsenal and Dortmund in Europe. But, look at the overall situation, the memorable evenings and those that lie ahead, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation within him.
In the 36 months since he had rejoined the team, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, stopped at the gates a final at home by Manchester United, and has ridden an historic vessel up the Nervión estuary accompanied by a huge crowd after securing the Spanish cup, the club’s first trophy in four decades. Now he is the top goal-getter in the European competition, where they are distinctive and returning after absence in a long period. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
He considered it challenging enough just to make the first team and that proved true. As the child of the ex-La Real star Xabi Guruzeta and a regular attendee at the team he now opposes, Guruzeta is a product of Antiguoko, the local academy that produced the Arsenal manager, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. He joined Athletic at 17 but after his top-level debut in the 2018 season, he went through a torn cruciate, dropped, a drop in category and a call back before he could truly get a chance, returning at 26 to experience the peak of his career.
“Joining the setup not expecting to reach the senior squad but every phase you advance through you’re still there and you can see it getting closer. You make it and … departure is necessary.” He featured briefly in six matches in six games between his first game and February 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches there and my knee gave way.
“A severe disappointment but I reflect on it as something positive because it shifted the perspective. Healing from a serious ailment is difficult, but it’s beneficial. You develop habits previously lacking. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then return home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, all resources are available, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Strength training. Should your hips be uneven, correct it. Assuming ankle mobility is good, improve it more. Every small aspect: execute them.
“In the first team you’re going to crash into players who have been in battles repeatedly. They’re so strong. Reviewing old images: my legs are chicken legs. Thus incidents occur. Look at pictures of me now and the change is dramatic. The setback taught me. Sessions end, but further effort is needed. Teammates are set, really ready; you have to be too.”
You also have to play. The striker moved upset in that year, aged 23, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in that season, he scored three times in numerous matches. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: transfers, releases. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and should the time come a vacancy arises for your role, a return could happen. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, an aspiration fulfilled. The trophy success, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
No wonder he says savor the moment. All the more so after last year which, sometimes, was involved suffering. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
