‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s journey from rehabilitation to goals with the Basque club
The debut appearance the Spanish forward featured in England, an teenage playing for the youth squad against Bundesliga youth at Wycombe’s stadium in September 2015, he hit the target. On his next visit he played in British turf, against Sunderland weeks after, he converted. His third outing, against Pep Guardiola’s team soon after, well, he repeated the feat. When he returned to the city to play against the Red Devils at Leigh Sports Village in 2017, he scored again. An excellent finish, too. “Truly,” he remarks, “it’s one of the best goals in my career.” Thus the club did what was necessary: they took him off.
“I became very upset,” the forward says, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. We traveled to face United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the final 45 minutes: my contract wasn’t finalized my contract, I kept finding the net, there were lots of rumours, as you’d expect. No confirmation on interest from Newcastle, but I recall seeing about Man United, the typical thing. It’s unclear the validity, but had they contacted me, I would have wanted to stay at the club. I feel lucky to be here.”
Real Sociedad release pressure with surreal victory in Basque derby like no other
At Lezama, Bilbao, the morning session is set to begin; following that, the brief trip to Loiu airport and a further journey to Britain, this time to face Newcastle in the UCL on midweek. Just saying those two words makes Guruzeta smile. It has become a challenging campaign for Athletic, partly because of the pressures of competing at this level. Losing in stoppage time in the local rivalry, they have won only one of their recent league fixtures and fallen to the Gunners and Borussia Dortmund in European competition. But, consider the broader view, the big nights he has lived and upcoming events, and a sense of thankful reflection from him.
In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, the striker has been a Europa League semi-finalist, denied at the last hurdle a domestic final by United, and has traveled on a traditional boat through the waterway surrounded by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the team’s initial silverware in four decades. He’s now Athletic’s top scorer in the UCL, where they are countercultural and returning after absence in a long period. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he states.
The player believed it difficult enough just to make the first team and his assessment was correct. Born to the ex-La Real star his father and a regular attendee at the team he now opposes, the forward is a product of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that nurtured the coach, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola. He joined Athletic at seventeen but after his top-level debut in that summer, he experienced a ACL injury, the cut, a drop in category and a call back before he could truly get a chance, returning at 26 to live the best days of the club’s history.
“Joining the setup thinking you won’t reach the senior squad but with every stage you advance through you’re still there and you can observe the approach. You get there but … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in half a dozen appearances between his debut and that period. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances at that level and I tear my cruciate.
“It was a huge blow but I look back on it as a turning point because it shifted the way I saw things. Healing from a serious ailment is challenging, but it helps. You develop habits you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I attended practice and then go home, like when you’re a kid. In the facility, facilities are comprehensive, so take full advantage. Practice, prevention. Get in the gym. Should your hips be uneven, correct it. With decent ankle function, make it a 12 or a 14. All the minor details: execute them.
“At the top level you’re going to crash into players who have been in battles 200,000 times. Highly robust. Seeing previous pictures: my legs are chicken legs. So what happens, happens. Present-day images and it’s totally different. Injury made me see that. Sessions end, but further effort is needed. Everyone else is ready, really ready; you have to be too.”
You also have to play. Guruzeta departed upset in the pandemic season, at 23 years old, joining the second tier. With Sabadell in that season, he scored three times in forty appearances. At Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the goals started to flow. “It’s a common path: temporary moves, ended deals. If you turn it round, dedication, confidence, and if one day the requirement appears in your position, they might come back for you. You have to be ready. Upon the recall, it was a dream come true. Lifting the cup, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks savor the moment. Particularly after last year which, sometimes, was involved suffering. From top scorer with sixteen goals, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|