‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s path from rehabilitation to success with Athletic

The debut appearance Gorka Guruzeta competed in the UK, an 18-year-old representing Athletic Bilbao B against Bundesliga youth at the English ground in September 2015, he hit the target. The second time he took the field in England, against Sunderland two months later, he scored. Another occasion, against the Citizens not long later, indeed, he did it once more. When he returned to the city to play against the Red Devils at Leigh’s ground in that year, he did it once more. An excellent finish, too. “Truly,” he states, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve netted.” So Athletic did what was necessary: they took him off.

“I got well angry,” the attacker says, and then he starts laughing. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I performed well. I wasn’t allowed to feature the latter period: I was without a signed deal, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, as you’d expect. I’m unsure regarding the Magpies’ pursuit, but I recall seeing about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. It’s unclear if it was accurate, but had they contacted me, my desire was to remain at Bilbao. I’m fortunate to be here.”

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At the training ground, the Basque Country, the early training is ready to commence; following that, the short journey to the airport and another trip to Britain, on this occasion to play Newcastle in the Champions League on Wednesday. Uttering the name lights him up. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for the club, partially owing to the requirements of competing at this level. Defeated late on in the local rivalry, they have managed just one win of their recent league fixtures and lost against Arsenal and the German side in the continental stage. But, consider the broader view, the major occasions he’s experienced and upcoming events, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation about him.

In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, prevented from reaching the showpiece event by United, and has traveled on a traditional boat up the Nervión estuary flanked by a huge crowd after winning the Copa del Rey, the first title in four decades. Now he is the club’s leading marksman in the European competition, where they are countercultural and debuting in a decade. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he says.

He considered it difficult 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, Guruzeta is a product of Antiguoko, the San Sebastián club that developed the Arsenal manager, the former star and Andoni Iraola. His move to Athletic came at 17 but after his first-team bow in August 2018, he experienced a serious knee problem, being released, a drop in category and a recall before he could finally secure an opportunity, coming back aged 26 to live the best days of the club’s history.

“Entering the youth system not expecting to reach the senior squad but each step you go through you’re still there and you can see it getting closer. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in a handful of matches between his first game and that period. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances at that level and I suffered the ACL injury.

“It was a huge blow but I reflect on it as something positive because it shifted the way I saw things. The rehabilitation process is hard, but it helps. You develop habits new to you. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I would go to training and then head home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, you have everything, so take full advantage. Training, prehab. Strength training. Should your hips be uneven, correct it. If your ankles are a 10, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.

“Among professionals you’re going to crash into players who have been in battles 200,000 times. They’re so strong. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Look at pictures of me now and it’s totally different. Recovery revealed that. Sessions end, but additional work remains. Teammates are set, really ready; no exceptions.”

Game time is essential. Guruzeta departed emotionally in 2020, at 23 years old, moving to a lower level. With Sabadell in 2020-21, he scored three times in 40 games. At Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the he found his form. “It’s a common path: transfers, releases. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and when eventually the requirement appears in your position, recall is possible. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, it was a dream come true. To then win the Copa del Rey, European football, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”

No wonder he says appreciate the experience. All the more so after the prior campaign which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with sixteen goals, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|