‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s journey from injury table to scoring with Athletic Bilbao
Thehe initial occasion the Athletic striker featured in English soil, an young appearing for Athletic Bilbao B against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at Wycombe’s stadium in fall 2015, he hit the target. During his subsequent match he appeared in the country, against the Black Cats following that, he netted. Another occasion, against Pep Guardiola’s team soon after, sure enough, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to Manchester to play against the Red Devils at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he did it once more. An excellent finish, also. “Truly,” he says, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve ever scored.” So Athletic did what was necessary: he was replaced.
“I became very upset,” the Athletic striker reveals, and then he starts laughing. “There must be a video somewhere. Our match against United and I performed well. I wasn’t allowed to feature the second half: I hadn’t yet signed deal, I was scoring goals, speculation was rife, it’s typical. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I recall seeing about Man United, the usual talk. It’s unclear the validity, but supposing an offer came, my desire was to remain at the club. It’s a privilege.”
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At the training ground, the city, the early training is ready to commence; after it, the short journey to the airport and another trip to the UK, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the Champions League on Wednesday. Mentioning that phrase lights him up. It has become a challenging campaign for Athletic, partly because of the requirements of their participation. Losing in stoppage time in the local rivalry, they have won only one of their last eight matches and fallen to the Gunners and Dortmund in the continental stage. However, consider the broader view, the big nights he has lived and future challenges, and he feels a calm gratitude from him.
In the three years since he had returned to the club, Gorka has been a final four contender in Europe, prevented from reaching the showpiece event by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary surrounded by a million fans after lifting the trophy, the club’s first trophy in four decades. Currently he stands as the top goal-getter in the European competition, where they are distinctive and debuting in ten years. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to earn a spot and that proved true. Born to the ex-La Real star the former professional and a regular attendee at the team he now opposes, the forward is a graduate of Antiguoko, the local academy that produced Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso 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 recall before he could finally secure an opportunity, making his comeback to experience the peak of the club’s history.
“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the top level but with every stage you progress through you’re remaining 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 half a dozen appearances between his bow and early 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games there and my knee gave way.
“It was a huge blow but I look back on it as a beneficial experience because it made me change the way I saw things. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it’s beneficial. You adopt practices you didn’t have. Previously I was casual, but I did the sessions and then head home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, you have everything, so take full advantage. Practice, prevention. Strength training. If your hips aren’t balanced, work on that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, enhance it further. Every small aspect: do them.
“Among professionals you’re going to face physical challenges who have been in battles countless occasions. They’re so strong. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. Injuries are inevitable. Current photos and it’s totally different. The setback taught me. Practice concludes, but additional work remains. Everyone else is ready, really ready; you have to be too.”
You also have to play. Guruzeta departed emotionally in 2020, at 23 years old, joining the second tier. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he netted three goals in 40 games. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the he found his form. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and should the time come the requirement appears in your position, they might come back for you. Preparation is key. When they decided to call again, it was a dream come true. Lifting the cup, compete continentally, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks savor the moment. Especially after the previous season which, sometimes, was about endurance. After being leading scorer with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
