‘Every minor detail – execute them’: The striker’s path from rehabilitation to goals with the Basque club
The first time Gorka Guruzeta played in the UK, an 18-year-old representing Athletic Bilbao B against German opponents at Adams Park in September 2015, he hit the target. The second time he took the field in the country, against the Black Cats two months later, he converted. His third outing, against Manchester City soon after, indeed, he did it once more. As he revisited to the city to face United at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he found the back of the net. An excellent finish, also. “Truly,” he remarks, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they substituted him.
“I became very upset,” the forward reveals, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. We went to play United and I was in fine form. I wasn’t allowed to feature the latter period: my contract wasn’t finalized deal, I kept finding the net, many stories circulated, as you’d expect. No confirmation on Newcastle being interested, but I remember reading about the Red Devils, 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.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At the training ground, the Basque Country, the morning session is about to start; post-session, the short journey to the airport and a further journey to England, now to face Newcastle in the European elite competition on midweek. Mentioning that phrase brings a smile to his face. This is proving a difficult season for the team, partially owing to the pressures of being here. Losing in stoppage time in the derby on Saturday, they have managed just one win of their last eight matches and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side in European competition. Yet, take in the big picture, the big nights he has lived and those that lie ahead, and a sense of thankful reflection about him.
In the the period since he had returned to the club, the striker has been a final four contender in Europe, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river accompanied 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 Champions League, where they are unique and debuting in a decade. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he admits.
Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to break into the senior squad and his assessment was correct. As the child of the ex-La Real star his father and a regular attendee at the opposition side, Gorka is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that developed the Arsenal manager, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after making his senior debut in the 2018 season, he suffered a serious knee problem, the cut, a relegation and a return before he could earn his place, making his comeback to experience the peak of his career.
“You go into the academy thinking you won’t reach the top level but with every stage you progress through you’re persisting 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 that period. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches there and I tear my cruciate.
“A severe disappointment but In retrospect as a beneficial experience because it made me change the perspective. The rehabilitation process is difficult, but it’s beneficial. You adopt practices you didn’t have. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I did the sessions and then return home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, you have everything, so do everything. Practice, prevention. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, address that. If your ankles are a 10, improve it more. All the minor details: perform them.
“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have crashed into players countless occasions. Highly robust. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. Thus incidents occur. Present-day images and it’s totally different. Injury made me see that. Training finishes, but additional work remains. Peers are prepared, really ready; no exceptions.”
Game time is essential. He left upset in the pandemic season, in his early twenties, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he netted three goals in forty appearances. With Amorebieta in the following period, the scoring picked up. “Many experience this: transfers, releases. Should you reverse it, dedication, confidence, and should the time come a vacancy arises in your position, they might come back for you. Preparation is key. When the opportunity came, a fantasy realized. To then win the Copa del Rey, European football, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Little surprise he states this is to be enjoyed. Especially after the previous season which, at times, was focused on persistence. From top scorer with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|