‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s journey from rehabilitation to success with Athletic
Thehe initial occasion the Athletic striker played in English soil, an teenage appearing for the youth squad against Bundesliga youth at Wycombe’s stadium in fall 2015, he hit the target. The second time he played in England, against the English side weeks after, he scored. His third outing, against Manchester City not long later, well, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to Manchester to take on Manchester United at Leigh Sports Village in 2017, he did it once more. An excellent finish, too. “Actually,” he remarks, “it’s a top-class goal in my career.” Therefore the team did what was necessary: he was replaced.
“I became very upset,” the attacker reveals, before breaking into laughter. “Probably there’s a recording. We went to play United and I performed well. They didn’t let me play the second half: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, I was scoring goals, speculation was rife, as you’d expect. I’m unsure regarding the Magpies’ pursuit, but I recall seeing about Manchester United, the usual talk. I have no idea if it was accurate, but had they contacted me, my desire was to remain at the club. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At Lezama, the Basque Country, the day’s first practice is about to start; post-session, the short journey to Loiu and another flight to England, this time to face Newcastle in the European elite competition on midweek. Uttering the name brings a smile to his face. It’s turning out to be a difficult season for Athletic, due in part to the pressures of competing at this level. Beaten in added time in the weekend clash, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and been defeated by Arsenal and Dortmund in the continental stage. But, take in the big picture, the major occasions he’s experienced and those that lie ahead, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation about him.
In the 36 months since he had come back to Athletic, the striker has been a final four contender in Europe, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by United, and has ridden an historic vessel through the waterway surrounded by a million fans after winning the Copa del Rey, the club’s first trophy in a long wait. He’s now the club’s leading marksman in the European competition, where they are countercultural and debuting in a decade. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
He considered it difficult enough just to earn a spot and that proved true. The son of the ex-La Real star his father and a dedicated fan at the opposition side, the forward is from the Antiguoko academy, the San Sebastián club that nurtured the coach, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. He joined Athletic at his teens but after his first-team bow in the 2018 season, he suffered a serious knee problem, dropped, a demotion and a recall before he could finally secure an opportunity, making his comeback to experience the peak of his career.
“Entering the youth system thinking you won’t reach the top level but with every stage you progress through you’re persisting and you can notice the proximity. You get there but … you’re sent away.” He featured briefly in six matches in six games between his bow and February 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances there and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A severe disappointment but I look back on it as a turning point because it made me change the perspective. The rehabilitation process is difficult, but it’s beneficial. You develop habits new to you. Previously I was casual, but I did the sessions and then head home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, all resources are available, so do everything. Practice, prevention. Get in the gym. If your hips aren’t balanced, work on that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, enhance it further. All the minor details: perform them.
“In the first team you’re going to collide with opponents who have crashed into players countless occasions. Extremely powerful. Seeing previous pictures: my legs are chicken legs. Injuries are inevitable. Present-day images and the improvement is clear. The setback taught me. Training finishes, but additional work remains. Peers are prepared, really ready; the same applies.”
Minutes are crucial. He left upset in the pandemic season, in his early twenties, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in 2020-21, he netted three goals in 40 games. With Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the he found his form. “It’s a common path: transfers, releases. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and if one day a vacancy arises for your role, a return could happen. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, an aspiration fulfilled. To then win the Copa del Rey, compete continentally, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
Little surprise he states savor the moment. All the more so after the previous season which, sometimes, was involved suffering. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
