‘Every minor detail – execute them’: The striker’s journey from gurney to scoring with Athletic Bilbao
The debut appearance the Athletic striker competed in the UK, an 18-year-old appearing for the youth squad against Bundesliga youth at Wycombe’s stadium in September 2015, he scored. The second time he played in England, against the English side two months later, he converted. His third outing, against Pep Guardiola’s team not long later, well, he did it once more. Upon his comeback to Manchester to play against the Red Devils at Leigh Sports Village in the 2017 season, he scored again. A spectacular strike, also. “In fact,” he states, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve netted.” Thus the club did what was necessary: they took him off.
“I became very upset,” the Athletic striker admits, and then he starts laughing. “I’m sure there’s footage. We traveled to face United and I performed well. They didn’t let me play the final 45 minutes: my contract wasn’t finalized deal, I kept finding the net, there were lots of rumours, as you’d expect. I don’t know about the Magpies’ pursuit, but I came across reports about the Red Devils, the typical thing. It’s unclear the validity, but supposing an offer came, I would have wanted to stay at the club. I feel lucky to be here.”
Real Sociedad ease tension with bizarre win in unique Basque clash
At Lezama, the Basque Country, the early training is ready to commence; post-session, the quick travel to Loiu and another trip to England, now to take on the Magpies in the UCL on the upcoming match. Uttering the name brings a smile to his face. This is proving a difficult season for the club, partly because of the demands of competing at this level. Beaten in added time in the derby on Saturday, they have won only one of their last eight matches and been defeated by Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in European competition. However, look at the overall situation, the memorable evenings and those that lie ahead, and a sense of thankful reflection about him.
In the three years since he had returned to the club, the striker has been a semi-final participant, prevented from reaching the showpiece event by Manchester United, and has ridden an historic vessel up the Nervión estuary surrounded by a huge crowd after winning the Copa del Rey, the club’s first trophy in four decades. He’s now Athletic’s top scorer in the Champions League, where they are unique and returning after absence in a decade. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
Guruzeta thought it hard enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. As the child of the one-time rival player his father and a regular attendee at the club that are now his rivals, Guruzeta is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that nurtured Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola. His move to Athletic came at his teens but after making his senior debut in that summer, he went through a torn cruciate, the cut, a drop in category and a recall before he could truly get a chance, returning at 26 to live the best days of his career.
“You go into the academy doubting you’ll make the senior squad but every phase you advance through you’re persisting and you can observe the approach. You get there but … you’re sent away.” He had limited game time in half a dozen appearances between his debut and that period. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances with them and I suffered the ACL injury.
“It was a huge blow but I look back on it as something positive because it shifted the way I saw things. The rehabilitation process is hard, but it helps. You develop habits new to you. It’s not about neglect, but I did the sessions and then return home, typical youth behavior. At Lezama, all resources are available, so utilize it all. Work, precaution. Hit the weights. With hip imbalance, address that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, make it a 12 or a 14. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.
“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have experienced contact 200,000 times. Highly robust. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. Thus incidents occur. Present-day images and the improvement is clear. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but there’s more to do. Peers are prepared, really ready; you have to be too.”
Game time is essential. Guruzeta departed emotionally in that year, at 23 years old, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in that season, he got three strikes in forty appearances. At Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the he found his form. “Players go through it: transfers, releases. With a turnaround, effort, faith, and when eventually a vacancy arises in your position, a return could happen. Preparation is key. When they decided to call again, an aspiration fulfilled. Lifting the cup, European football, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks this is to be enjoyed. Especially after the prior campaign which, at times, was involved suffering. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
