‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s path from injury table to scoring with Athletic Bilbao
Thehe first time the Spanish forward featured in English soil, an young playing for the reserve team against Bundesliga youth at the English ground in the 2015 season, he hit the target. The second time he took the field in British turf, against the English side two months later, he converted. Another occasion, against Pep Guardiola’s team soon after, indeed, he scored again. When he returned to the northwest to play against the Red Devils at Leigh Sports Village in 2017, he did it once more. An excellent finish, too. “Actually,” he remarks, “it ranks among my finest in my career.” Thus the club did what was necessary: they took him off.
“I was furious,” the attacker reveals, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. We went to play United and I was in fine form. I wasn’t allowed to feature the final 45 minutes: I was without a signed deal, I kept finding the net, many stories circulated, as you’d expect. I don’t know about the Magpies’ pursuit, but I came across reports about Manchester United, the typical thing. It’s unclear the validity, but even if they had called, I would have wanted to stay at Bilbao. I’m fortunate to be here.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At the training ground, the city, the morning session is ready to commence; following that, the quick travel to the airport and another trip to England, this time to take on the Magpies in the European elite competition on the upcoming match. Uttering the name lights him up. It’s turning out to be a difficult season for the team, partially owing 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 fallen to the Gunners and Dortmund in the continental stage. However, take in the big picture, the memorable evenings and upcoming events, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation about him.
In the the period since he had returned to the club, the striker has been a final four contender in Europe, stopped at the gates a domestic final by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river flanked by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the first title in a long wait. He’s now the top goal-getter in the European competition, where they are countercultural and debuting in ten years. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he admits.
Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to make the first team and his assessment was correct. Born to the former Real Sociedad player his father and a season ticket holder at the opposition side, Guruzeta is a product of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that developed Mikel Arteta, the legendary midfielder and the tactician. His move to Athletic came at 17 but after his top-level debut in the 2018 season, he experienced a serious knee problem, dropped, a demotion and a call back before he could truly get a chance, making his comeback to live the best days of their lives.
“Joining the setup not expecting to reach the top level but with every stage you progress through you’re still there and you can notice the proximity. You get there but … departure is necessary.” He had limited game time in half a dozen appearances between his debut and February 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games with them and I suffered the ACL injury.
“It was a huge blow but I look back on it as something positive because it forced me to alter the way I saw things. Healing from a serious ailment is hard, but it aids growth. You adopt practices new to you. Previously I was casual, but I attended practice and then return home, like when you’re a kid. In the facility, you have everything, so take full advantage. Practice, prevention. Hit the weights. With hip imbalance, correct it. 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 experienced contact 200,000 times. They’re so strong. Reviewing old images: my physique was slight. So what happens, happens. Look at pictures of me now 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.”
You also have to play. Guruzeta departed upset in 2020, in his early twenties, moving to a lower level. At Sabadell in that season, he scored three times in numerous matches. At Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the he found his form. “It’s a common path: transfers, releases. With a turnaround, effort, faith, and when eventually they need someone for your role, they might come back for you. Preparation is key. When they decided to call again, it was a dream come true. To then win the Copa del Rey, European football, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Little surprise he states this is to be enjoyed. All the more so after the previous season which, on occasions, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with 16 in 2023-24, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
