‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s journey from injury table to scoring with Athletic
The first time Gorka Guruzeta featured in the UK, an teenage playing for Athletic Bilbao B against German opponents at Adams Park in the 2015 season, he found the net. The second time he appeared in England, against Sunderland weeks after, he converted. The third time, against Pep Guardiola’s team soon after, sure enough, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to the city to take on Manchester United at Leigh’s ground in that year, he found the back of the net. It was a superb volley, too. “Truly,” he remarks, “it ranks among my finest I’ve netted.” Thus the club did their duty: they took him off.
“I was furious,” the forward says, and then he starts laughing. “There must be a video somewhere. Our match against United and I was in fine form. They kept me out of the final 45 minutes: I was without a signed my contract, I kept finding the net, many stories circulated, you know how it is. I don’t know about interest from Newcastle, but I came across reports about Manchester United, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea the validity, but even if they had called, I would have wanted to stay at the club. It’s a privilege.”
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At Lezama, Bilbao, the morning session is about to start; post-session, the brief trip to Loiu airport and another trip to England, on this occasion to face Newcastle in the Champions League on midweek. Mentioning that phrase brings a smile to his face. This is proving a difficult season for the team, partly because of the requirements of competing at this level. Beaten in added time in the local rivalry, they have won only one of their last eight matches and lost against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in Europe. Yet, look at the overall situation, the memorable evenings and future challenges, and he feels a calm gratitude about him.
In the three years since he had returned to the club, the striker has been a semi-final participant, stopped at the gates the showpiece event by Manchester United, and has traveled on a traditional boat through the waterway flanked by countless supporters after winning the Copa del Rey, the club’s first trophy in 40 years. Now he is the top goal-getter in the European competition, where they are distinctive and making their first appearance in a long period. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he states.
The player believed it hard enough just to make the first team and his assessment was correct. The son of the one-time rival player the former professional and a season ticket holder at the club that are now his rivals, Gorka is from the Antiguoko academy, the Donostiarra team that nurtured Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at seventeen but after making his senior debut in that summer, he went through a torn cruciate, the cut, a relegation and a call back before he could truly get a chance, coming back aged 26 to enjoy the highlights of their lives.
“You go into the academy not expecting to reach the senior squad but every phase you go through you’re still there and you can observe the approach. You get there but … you’re sent away.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in half a dozen appearances between his debut and early 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches with them and I tear my cruciate.
“It was a huge blow but I reflect on it as a turning point because it forced me to alter the way I saw things. Recovering from a long-term injury is difficult, but it helps. You cultivate routines new to you. Previously I was casual, but I attended practice and then go home, typical youth behavior. At the complex, you have everything, so take full advantage. Practice, prevention. Strength training. Should your hips be uneven, correct it. If your ankles are a 10, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.
“In the first team you’re going to crash into players who have experienced contact countless occasions. Highly robust. Seeing previous pictures: my physique was slight. So what happens, happens. Look at pictures of me now and the improvement is clear. Injury made me see that. Sessions end, but additional work remains. Peers are prepared, really ready; you have to be too.”
Minutes are crucial. The striker moved emotionally in that year, aged 23, dropping into the second division. During his Sabadell spell in the 20-21 campaign, he netted three goals in numerous matches. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: loans, terminated contracts. If you turn it round, dedication, confidence, and when eventually the requirement appears in your position, they might come back for you. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, an aspiration fulfilled. The trophy success, European football, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
No wonder he says this is to be enjoyed. Particularly after the prior campaign which, at times, was focused on persistence. From top scorer with 16 in 2023-24, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
