‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s path from gurney to goals with the Basque club

The debut appearance the Spanish forward played in England, an 18-year-old playing for Athletic Bilbao B against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at Adams Park in the 2015 season, he scored. On his next visit he played in the country, against Sunderland two months later, he netted. Another occasion, against Pep Guardiola’s team not long later, well, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to the city to take on Manchester United at Leigh’s ground in 2017, he did it once more. It was a superb volley, too. “Actually,” he says, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve netted.” Thus the club did what they had to do: they took him off.

“I got well angry,” the forward admits, and then he starts laughing. “There must be a video somewhere. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They didn’t let me play the second half: my contract wasn’t finalized my contract, goals were flowing, many stories circulated, you know how it is. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I came across reports about Manchester United, the usual talk. I’m not certain how true it was, but had they contacted me, my desire was to remain at Athletic. I feel lucky to be here.”

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At the facility, Bilbao, the early training is set to begin; following that, the quick travel to Loiu airport and another trip to Britain, this time to play Newcastle in the European elite competition on midweek. Uttering the name makes Guruzeta smile. It’s turning out to be a difficult season for the team, partially owing to the pressures of their participation. Defeated late on in the derby on Saturday, they have won only one of their recent league fixtures and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side in the continental stage. However, consider the broader view, 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, Gorka has been a final four contender in Europe, denied at the last hurdle a domestic final by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway surrounded by countless supporters after securing the Spanish cup, the first title in 40 years. Now he is Athletic’s top scorer in the European competition, where they are unique and returning after absence in ten years. “This was beyond my dreams,” he states.

The player believed it difficult enough just to earn a spot and he was right. Born to the ex-La Real star Xabi Guruzeta and a regular attendee at the club that are now his rivals, Guruzeta is from the Antiguoko academy, the San Sebastián club that developed the coach, Xabi Alonso and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at seventeen but after making his senior debut in the 2018 season, he experienced a ACL injury, dropped, a relegation and a call back before he could finally secure an opportunity, making his comeback to live the best days of his career.

“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the first team but each step you advance through you’re still there and you can notice the proximity. You get there but … departure is necessary.” He featured briefly in six matches in half a dozen appearances between his first game and February 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances with them and my knee gave way.

“A severe disappointment but I look back on it as a turning point because it shifted the perspective. Healing from a serious ailment is hard, but it’s beneficial. You adopt practices you didn’t have. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I would go to training and then head home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, all resources are available, so take full advantage. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. Should your hips be uneven, address that. If your ankles are a 10, make it a 12 or a 14. Every small aspect: do them.

“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have crashed into players repeatedly. Extremely powerful. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Current photos and it’s totally different. The setback taught me. Training finishes, but further effort is needed. Everyone else is ready, really ready; no exceptions.”

You also have to play. The striker moved upset in the pandemic season, aged 23, joining the second tier. With Sabadell in that season, he got three strikes in 40 games. At Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: temporary moves, ended deals. Should you reverse it, effort, faith, and if one day the requirement appears in your position, they might come back for you. Preparation is key. When the opportunity came, a fantasy realized. To then win the Copa del Rey, European football, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”

Understandably he remarks appreciate the experience. Especially after the prior campaign which, on occasions, was about endurance. From top scorer with sixteen goals, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|