‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s journey from rehabilitation to scoring with the Basque club

Thehe first time the Athletic striker played in England, an teenage representing Athletic Bilbao B against Bundesliga youth at the English ground in the 2015 season, he scored. During his subsequent match he appeared in England, against the Black Cats following that, he scored. Another occasion, against Pep Guardiola’s team soon after, well, he did it once more. Upon his comeback to the city to play against the Red Devils at Leigh’s ground in that year, he found the back of the net. A spectacular strike, too. “In fact,” he says, “it ranks among my finest I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did their duty: they substituted him.

“I was furious,” the forward admits, before breaking into laughter. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the second half: I was without a signed my contract, I kept finding the net, speculation was rife, as you’d expect. I don’t know about Newcastle being interested, but I came across reports about Man United, standard transfer gossip. I’m not certain if it was accurate, but supposing an offer came, I would have wanted to stay at Bilbao. I’m fortunate to be here.”

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At the facility, the Basque Country, the morning session is ready to commence; following that, the brief trip to the airport and another flight to Britain, this time to take on the Magpies in the European elite competition on midweek. Mentioning that phrase lights him up. It has become a challenging campaign for the team, partially owing to the demands of being here. Beaten in added time in the local rivalry, they have managed just one win of their recent league fixtures and fallen to the Gunners and Dortmund in the continental stage. Yet, look at the overall situation, the memorable evenings and those that lie ahead, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation from him.

In the 36 months since he had come back to Athletic, the striker has been a final four contender in Europe, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by the English giants, and has ridden an historic vessel through the waterway surrounded by a million fans after securing the Spanish cup, the club’s first trophy in 40 years. Now he is the club’s leading marksman in the European competition, where they are distinctive and making their first appearance in a long period. “I never imagined this,” he states.

He considered it difficult enough just to earn a spot and his assessment was correct. As the child of the one-time rival player the former professional and a season ticket holder at the opposition side, Gorka is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that developed the coach, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after his first-team bow in the 2018 season, he went through a ACL injury, dropped, a drop in category and a call back before he could finally secure an opportunity, making his comeback to live the best days of his career.

“You go into the academy doubting you’ll make the top level but with every stage you advance through you’re still there and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in a handful of matches between his bow and February 2019. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches there and my knee gave way.

“A severe disappointment but I look back on it as a turning point because it shifted the way I saw things. Healing from a serious ailment is hard, but it’s beneficial. You develop habits you didn’t have. Previously I was casual, but I attended practice and then return home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, all resources are available, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Hit the weights. Should your hips be uneven, correct it. If your ankles are a 10, improve it more. All the minor details: do them.

“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have crashed into players countless occasions. They’re so strong. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. Thus incidents occur. Current photos and the improvement is clear. The setback taught me. Training finishes, but additional work remains. Peers are prepared, really ready; the same applies.”

Game time is essential. Guruzeta departed in tears in that year, aged 23, joining the second tier. At Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he scored three times in 40 games. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the goals started to flow. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. Should you reverse it, work, believe, and when eventually a vacancy arises in your position, recall is possible. Readiness is vital. When they decided to call again, a fantasy realized. To then win the Copa del Rey, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”

No wonder he says this is to be enjoyed. Especially after the prior campaign which, at times, was about endurance. After being leading scorer with sixteen goals, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|