‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s road from injury table to success with Athletic
Whenhe debut appearance Gorka Guruzeta featured in English soil, an teenage appearing for Athletic Bilbao B against German opponents at Adams Park in fall 2015, he scored. During his subsequent match he appeared in the country, against the English side two months later, he netted. Another occasion, against Pep Guardiola’s team not long later, indeed, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to the northwest to play against the Red Devils at Leigh Sports Village in the 2017 season, he found the back of the net. An excellent finish, also. “Truly,” he states, “it ranks among my finest in my career.” So Athletic did what they had to do: he was replaced.
“I was furious,” the attacker says, and then he starts laughing. “Probably there’s a recording. Our match against United and I was pretty good. I wasn’t allowed to feature the second half: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, I kept finding the net, speculation was rife, you know how it is. I don’t know about Newcastle being interested, but I recall seeing about Manchester United, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea the validity, but had they contacted me, I would have wanted to stay at Athletic. It’s a privilege.”
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At Lezama, the city, the day’s first practice is about to start; post-session, the quick travel to the airport and another trip to the UK, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the UCL on midweek. Uttering the name lights him up. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for Athletic, partially owing to the pressures of being here. Losing in stoppage time in the weekend clash, they have secured just a single victory of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and Borussia Dortmund in the continental stage. But, look at the overall situation, the major occasions he’s experienced and upcoming events, and he feels a calm gratitude about him.
In the the period since he had rejoined the team, Guruzeta has been a final four contender in Europe, prevented from reaching a final at home by Manchester United, and has traveled on a traditional boat through the waterway flanked by countless supporters after lifting the trophy, the first title in four decades. Currently he stands as Athletic’s top scorer in the Champions League, where they are unique and making their first appearance in ten years. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he says.
He considered it difficult enough just to break into the senior squad and he was right. The son of the one-time rival player the former professional and a regular attendee at the opposition side, Gorka is a product of Antiguoko, the local academy that produced the Arsenal manager, the former star and the tactician. His move to Athletic came at 17 but after his first-team bow in that summer, he experienced a serious knee problem, being released, a demotion and a recall before he could earn his place, making his comeback to enjoy the highlights of the club’s history.
“Joining the setup not expecting to reach the first team but every phase you advance through you’re remaining and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He had limited game time in half a dozen appearances between his first game and early 2019. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games with them and my knee gave way.
“A severe disappointment but I reflect on it as something positive because it shifted the way I saw things. Recovering from a long-term injury is difficult, but it helps. You adopt practices you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I did the sessions and then return home, typical youth behavior. At Lezama, facilities are comprehensive, so take full advantage. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. If your hips aren’t balanced, work on that. With decent ankle function, enhance it further. All the minor details: do them.
“In the first team you’re going to crash into players who have been in battles repeatedly. Extremely powerful. Reviewing old images: I had slender legs. Injuries are inevitable. Look at pictures of me now and the change is dramatic. Injury made me see that. Training finishes, but additional work remains. Peers are prepared, really ready; you have to be too.”
Game time is essential. The striker moved in tears in that year, at 23 years old, dropping into the second division. During his Sabadell spell in that season, he got three strikes in forty appearances. At Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the scoring picked up. “Players go through it: loans, terminated contracts. With a turnaround, effort, faith, and should the time come a vacancy arises where you play, recall is possible. You have to be ready. When they decided to call again, an aspiration fulfilled. Lifting the cup, play in Europe, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks savor the moment. Particularly after last year which, at times, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with sixteen goals, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
