‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s path from gurney to scoring with the Basque club
The debut appearance the Spanish forward played in England, an teenage representing Athletic Bilbao B against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at Adams Park in the 2015 season, he found the net. The second time he played in British turf, against the English side following that, he netted. Another occasion, against the Citizens not long later, indeed, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to Manchester to face United at Leigh Sports Village in 2017, he scored again. It was a superb volley, as well. “Actually,” he states, “it ranks among my finest in my career.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: he was replaced.
“I was furious,” the forward reveals, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I performed well. I wasn’t allowed to feature the final 45 minutes: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, goals were flowing, many stories circulated, as you’d expect. I don’t know about interest from Newcastle, but I remember reading about Manchester United, the typical thing. I’m not certain how true it was, but had they contacted me, I would have wanted to stay at Bilbao. It’s a privilege.”
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At the training ground, Bilbao, the day’s first practice is ready to commence; post-session, the short journey to Loiu airport and another trip to Britain, this time to play Newcastle in the UCL on the upcoming match. Just saying those two words brings a smile to his face. It’s turning out to be a difficult season for the club, partly because of the pressures of their participation. Losing in stoppage time in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their recent league fixtures and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side in Europe. However, look at the overall situation, the major occasions he’s experienced and upcoming events, and a sense of thankful reflection within him.
In the the period since he had returned to the club, Guruzeta has been a Europa League semi-finalist, denied at the last hurdle a final at home by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway accompanied by countless supporters after securing the Spanish cup, the first title in four decades. He’s now Athletic’s top scorer in the European competition, where they are countercultural and returning after absence in ten years. “This was beyond my dreams,” he admits.
Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to earn a spot and his assessment was correct. As the child of the one-time rival player the former professional and a regular attendee at the team he now opposes, the forward is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that produced the Arsenal manager, the legendary midfielder and the tactician. His move to Athletic came at 17 but after his top-level debut in the 2018 season, he went through a torn cruciate, dropped, a drop in category and a recall before he could finally secure an opportunity, returning at 26 to live the best days of his career.
“Entering the youth system doubting you’ll make the senior squad but with every stage you progress through you’re remaining and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in a handful of matches between his debut and that period. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances at that level and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A massive setback but In retrospect as a turning point because it made me change the way I saw things. Recovering from a long-term injury is challenging, but it aids growth. You cultivate routines you didn’t have. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I attended practice and then return home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, you have everything, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Hit the weights. With hip imbalance, work on that. If your ankles are a 10, enhance it further. All the minor details: do them.
“In the first team 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: my legs are chicken legs. So what happens, happens. Look at pictures of me now and it’s totally different. Injury made me see that. Training finishes, but there’s more to do. Teammates are set, really ready; the same applies.”
Minutes are crucial. The striker moved in tears in 2020, at 23 years old, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in 2020-21, he scored three times in forty appearances. With Amorebieta in the following period, the scoring picked up. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. Should you reverse it, dedication, confidence, and if one day they need someone in your position, a return could happen. Readiness is vital. When they decided to call again, an aspiration fulfilled. To then win the Copa del Rey, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Little surprise he states appreciate the experience. Particularly after last year which, at times, was involved suffering. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
