‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s journey from injury table to goals with Athletic Bilbao
Thehe initial occasion Gorka Guruzeta featured in English soil, an teenage representing Athletic Bilbao B against Bundesliga youth at Adams Park in September 2015, he found the net. On his next visit he played in the country, against the English side following that, he scored. His third outing, against Manchester City six weeks after that, sure enough, he repeated the feat. When he returned to the city to play against the Red Devils at Leigh Sports Village in that year, he scored again. It was a superb volley, as well. “Actually,” he says, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve netted.” Therefore the team did what was necessary: they substituted him.
“I was furious,” the forward says, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. We traveled to face United and I performed well. They didn’t let me play the latter period: I hadn’t yet signed deal, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, as you’d expect. I don’t know about the Magpies’ pursuit, but I remember reading about the Red Devils, the typical thing. I have no idea 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 early training is set to begin; after it, the quick travel to Loiu and another trip to England, now to face Newcastle in the Champions League on midweek. Just saying those two words brings a smile to his face. This is proving a tough year for Athletic, due in part to the requirements of being here. Losing in stoppage time in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their past eight league games and been defeated by Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in Europe. Yet, take in the big picture, the big nights he has lived and future challenges, and a sense of thankful reflection about him.
In the 36 months since he had come back to Athletic, Guruzeta has been a Europa League semi-finalist, denied at the last hurdle a final at home by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway surrounded by a million fans after lifting the trophy, the first title in four decades. He’s now the club’s leading marksman in the Champions League, where they are distinctive and returning after absence in ten years. “I never imagined this,” he says.
He considered it hard enough just to break into the senior squad and his assessment was correct. As the child of the one-time rival player Xabi Guruzeta and a season ticket holder at the club that are now his rivals, the forward is a product of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that developed Mikel Arteta, the former star and the tactician. He joined Athletic at his teens but after his top-level debut in August 2018, he suffered a ACL injury, the cut, a demotion and a return before he could earn his place, returning at 26 to enjoy the highlights of his career.
“Entering the youth system doubting you’ll make the senior squad but every phase you advance through you’re remaining and you can see it getting closer. You make it and … you have to leave.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in six games between his first game and early 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances there and my knee gave way.
“It was a huge blow but I reflect on it as a turning point because it shifted the way I saw things. Healing from a serious ailment is challenging, but it helps. You cultivate routines you didn’t have. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I would go to training and then head home, typical youth behavior. At Lezama, you have everything, so do everything. Work, precaution. Hit the weights. Should your hips be uneven, address that. With decent ankle function, make it a 12 or a 14. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.
“Among professionals you’re going to face physical challenges who have been in battles 200,000 times. They’re so strong. Seeing previous pictures: I had slender legs. Thus incidents occur. Present-day images and the change is dramatic. Recovery revealed that. Sessions end, but there’s more to do. Everyone else is ready, really ready; you have to be too.”
Minutes are crucial. Guruzeta departed emotionally in that year, in his early twenties, moving to a lower level. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he got three strikes in 40 games. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the he found his form. “It’s a common path: temporary moves, ended deals. With a turnaround, dedication, confidence, and when eventually a vacancy arises where you play, a return could happen. Preparation is key. When they decided to call again, a fantasy realized. Lifting the cup, play in Europe, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks appreciate the experience. Particularly after the prior campaign which, on occasions, was about endurance. From top scorer with sixteen goals, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
