‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s road from gurney to goals with Athletic
Thehe debut appearance the Athletic striker competed in England, an teenage appearing for the youth squad against German opponents at the English ground in September 2015, he found the net. On his next visit he appeared in England, against the Black Cats two months later, he converted. Another occasion, against Manchester City soon after, indeed, he scored again. When he returned to the northwest to face United at Leigh Sports Village in 2017, he scored again. It was a superb volley, as well. “Actually,” he says, “it ranks among my finest I’ve ever scored.” So Athletic did what was necessary: they substituted him.
“I got well angry,” the forward admits, before breaking into laughter. “I’m sure there’s footage. We traveled to face United and I performed well. They didn’t let me play the latter period: my contract wasn’t finalized my contract, I kept finding the net, there were lots of rumours, it’s typical. No confirmation on interest from Newcastle, but I came across reports about Manchester United, standard transfer gossip. I’m not certain if it was accurate, but supposing an offer came, I would have wanted to stay at the club. It’s a privilege.”
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At the facility, the city, the morning session is set to begin; following that, the brief trip to Loiu and another flight to England, now to take on the Magpies in the Champions League on Wednesday. Uttering the name lights him up. It’s turning out to be a tough year for Athletic, due in part to the requirements of their participation. Defeated late on in the weekend clash, they have secured just a single victory of their past eight league games and lost against Arsenal and Dortmund in European competition. However, look at the overall situation, the big nights he has lived and those that lie ahead, and he feels a calm gratitude from him.
In the 36 months since he had come back to Athletic, Guruzeta has been a Europa League semi-finalist, prevented from reaching a final at home by the English giants, and has traveled on a traditional boat through the waterway accompanied by countless supporters after winning the Copa del Rey, the first title in a long wait. He’s now the club’s leading marksman in the Champions League, where they are distinctive and returning after absence in ten years. “I never imagined this,” he admits.
He considered it challenging enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. Born to the former Real Sociedad player Xabi Guruzeta and a regular attendee at the club that are now his rivals, Gorka is a product of Antiguoko, the San Sebastián club that nurtured the Arsenal manager, the former star and the tactician. He joined Athletic at seventeen but after his first-team bow in the 2018 season, he experienced a serious knee problem, dropped, a drop in category and a return before he could earn his place, coming back aged 26 to experience the peak of his career.
“Entering the youth system doubting you’ll make the first team but with every stage you go through you’re still there and you can notice the proximity. You arrive and then … departure is necessary.” He featured briefly in six matches in six games between his debut and that period. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances at that level and I tear my cruciate.
“It was a huge blow but In retrospect as a turning point because it made me change the outlook. Healing from a serious ailment is difficult, but it’s beneficial. You develop habits previously lacking. It’s not about neglect, but I would go to training and then head home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, you have everything, so do everything. Work, precaution. Hit the weights. Should your hips be uneven, work on that. With decent ankle function, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.
“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have crashed into players countless occasions. Extremely powerful. Seeing previous pictures: my legs are chicken legs. So what happens, happens. Look at pictures of me now and the change is dramatic. The setback taught me. Practice concludes, but further effort is needed. Teammates are set, really ready; you have to be too.”
Minutes are crucial. Guruzeta departed upset in the pandemic season, in his early twenties, moving to a lower level. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he netted three goals in forty appearances. With Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the goals started to flow. “It’s a common path: transfers, releases. With a turnaround, work, believe, and should the time come a vacancy arises for your role, a return could happen. You have to be ready. Upon the recall, a fantasy realized. The trophy success, European football, and make the UCL … pfff.”
No wonder he says savor the moment. Especially after the previous season which, sometimes, was about endurance. From top scorer with sixteen goals, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|