‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s journey from rehabilitation to success with Athletic Bilbao

Thehe first time the Spanish forward played in English soil, an 18-year-old playing for Athletic Bilbao B against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at Wycombe’s stadium in fall 2015, he scored. The second time he took the field in the country, against the Black Cats following that, he netted. Another occasion, against the Citizens soon after, indeed, he scored again. As he revisited to Manchester to take on Manchester United at Leigh’s ground in that year, he did it once more. It was a superb volley, too. “Truly,” he says, “it’s a top-class goal in my career.” Therefore the team did their duty: they substituted him.

“I got well angry,” the Athletic striker admits, 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 final 45 minutes: I hadn’t yet signed my contract, I was scoring goals, speculation was rife, you know how it is. I don’t know about Newcastle being interested, but I came across reports about Manchester United, the usual talk. It’s unclear if it was accurate, but even if they had called, I would have wanted to stay at Athletic. I feel lucky to be here.”

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At Lezama, the city, the morning session is set to begin; post-session, the brief trip to Loiu and another trip to the UK, this time to play Newcastle in the Champions League on Wednesday. Mentioning that phrase lights him up. It has become a difficult season for the club, partly because of the pressures of competing at this level. Beaten in added time in the weekend clash, they have managed just one win of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and Dortmund in European competition. Yet, look at the overall situation, the big nights he has lived and upcoming events, and he feels a calm gratitude from him.

In the 36 months since he had rejoined the team, Gorka has been a final four contender in Europe, stopped at the gates a domestic final by United, and has traveled on a traditional boat up the Nervión estuary surrounded by a huge crowd after securing the Spanish cup, the first title in a long wait. Now he is the top goal-getter in the European competition, where they are countercultural and making their first appearance in a decade. “I never imagined this,” he says.

Guruzeta thought it challenging enough just to earn a spot and he was right. As the child of the ex-La Real star the former professional and a regular attendee at the club that are now his rivals, the forward is from the Antiguoko academy, the local academy that produced the coach, the former star and the tactician. He signed for Athletic at seventeen but after making his senior debut in August 2018, he experienced a ACL injury, dropped, a demotion and a recall before he could finally secure an opportunity, returning at 26 to experience the peak of the club’s history.

“You go into the academy thinking you won’t reach the first team but each step you progress through you’re persisting and you can see it getting closer. You make it and … departure is necessary.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in six games between his debut and early 2019. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches there and my knee gave way.

“It was a huge blow but I look back on it as a beneficial experience because it shifted the way I saw things. The rehabilitation process is challenging, but it’s beneficial. You adopt practices you didn’t have. Previously I was casual, but I attended practice and then return home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, you have everything, so take full advantage. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, work on that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.

“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have been in battles repeatedly. Highly robust. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. Injuries are inevitable. Current photos and the improvement is clear. Recovery revealed that. Training finishes, but additional work remains. Peers are prepared, really ready; you have to be too.”

Minutes are crucial. The striker moved emotionally in 2020, at 23 years old, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he netted three goals in numerous matches. During his Amorebieta stint in the second half of 2021-22, the goals started to flow. “It’s a common path: temporary moves, ended deals. With a turnaround, effort, faith, and should the time come a vacancy arises where you play, recall is possible. Preparation is key. Upon the recall, it was a dream come true. To then win the Copa del Rey, play in Europe, and make the UCL … pfff.”

Little surprise he states appreciate the experience. Especially after the previous season which, at times, was about endurance. From top scorer with a high tally, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|