‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s path from rehabilitation to scoring with Athletic Bilbao

Thehe first time Gorka Guruzeta competed in English soil, an 18-year-old playing for the reserve team against German opponents at Adams Park in the 2015 season, he found the net. During his subsequent match he played in British turf, against the English side two months later, he converted. Another occasion, against Manchester City soon after, well, he scored again. As he revisited to the city to play against the Red Devils at Leigh’s ground in that year, he found the back of the net. It was a superb volley, also. “Actually,” he states, “it ranks among my finest I’ve netted.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they substituted him.

“I got well angry,” the attacker admits, and then he starts laughing. “Probably there’s a recording. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the latter period: I hadn’t yet signed deal, goals were flowing, many stories circulated, it’s typical. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I came across reports about Manchester United, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea how true it was, but supposing an offer came, I’d have chosen to stay at Athletic. I feel lucky to be here.”

Real Sociedad release pressure with surreal victory in Basque derby like no other

At Lezama, the city, the day’s first practice is about to start; after it, the brief trip to Loiu and another flight to England, this time to play Newcastle in the Champions League on Wednesday. Just saying those two words lights him up. It has become a tough year for the club, due in part to the pressures of being here. Defeated late on in the derby on Saturday, they have won only one of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and the German side in the continental stage. However, take in the big picture, the memorable evenings and future challenges, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation from him.

In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, Guruzeta has been a Europa League semi-finalist, stopped at the gates a final at home by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway flanked by a huge crowd after winning the Copa del Rey, the first title in a long wait. Now he is the top goal-getter in the Champions League, where they are unique and returning after absence in ten years. “I never imagined this,” he admits.

He considered it hard enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. Born to the former Real Sociedad player Xabi Guruzeta and a dedicated fan at the team he now opposes, the forward is a product of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that developed Mikel Arteta, the legendary midfielder and the tactician. He signed for Athletic at 17 but after making his senior debut in that summer, he experienced a torn cruciate, the cut, a relegation and a recall before he could earn his place, returning at 26 to experience the peak of his career.

“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the first team but every phase you advance through you’re remaining and you can notice the proximity. You make it and … you’re sent away.” He had limited game time in a handful of matches between his debut and that period. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances at that level and my knee gave way.

“A severe disappointment but In retrospect as something positive because it made me change the outlook. The rehabilitation process is hard, but it’s beneficial. You develop habits you didn’t have. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then head home, as a youngster does. In the facility, facilities are comprehensive, so take full advantage. Training, prehab. Strength training. Should your hips be uneven, work on that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: do them.

“In the first team you’re going to crash into players who have been in battles 200,000 times. They’re so strong. Seeing previous pictures: my physique was slight. Injuries are inevitable. Current photos and the improvement is clear. Recovery revealed that. Sessions end, but further effort is needed. Everyone else is ready, really ready; no exceptions.”

Minutes are crucial. The striker moved emotionally in 2020, in his early twenties, joining the second tier. At Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he got three strikes in numerous matches. During his Amorebieta stint in the latter part of the season, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: transfers, releases. If you turn it round, work, believe, and when eventually a vacancy arises in your position, they might come back for you. Readiness is vital. When the opportunity came, an aspiration fulfilled. To then win the Copa del Rey, compete continentally, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”

Understandably he remarks savor the moment. Particularly after the prior campaign which, on occasions, was focused on persistence. From top scorer with a high tally, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|