‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s path from rehabilitation to scoring with Athletic Bilbao
Whenhe first time Gorka Guruzeta featured in the UK, an young playing for the reserve team against Bundesliga youth at Adams Park in September 2015, he hit the target. During his subsequent match he appeared in England, against the English side two months later, he scored. Another occasion, against the Citizens not long later, well, he scored again. When he returned to Manchester to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he scored again. An excellent finish, also. “Actually,” he states, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did their duty: they substituted him.
“I got well angry,” the Athletic striker says, and then he starts laughing. “There must be a video somewhere. We went to play United and I performed well. I wasn’t allowed to feature the final 45 minutes: my contract wasn’t finalized agreement, I kept finding the net, there were lots of rumours, as you’d expect. No confirmation on Newcastle being interested, but I recall seeing about Manchester United, the usual talk. I have no idea the validity, but even if they had called, I would have wanted to stay at Athletic. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At the training ground, the city, the early training is set to begin; post-session, the short journey to Loiu airport and another trip to Britain, this time to take on the Magpies in the Champions League on midweek. Just saying those two words brings a smile to his face. This is proving a challenging campaign for Athletic, partly because of the requirements of competing at this level. Losing in stoppage time in the local rivalry, they have won only one of their last eight matches and fallen to the Gunners and Dortmund in the continental stage. Yet, consider the broader view, the major occasions he’s experienced and future challenges, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation within him.
In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, prevented from reaching a final at home by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river surrounded by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the first title in a long wait. Now he is the club’s leading marksman in the Champions League, where they are unique and returning after absence in a long period. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he states.
He considered it difficult enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. Born to the one-time rival player his father and a regular attendee at the team he now opposes, Gorka is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that developed Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola. He joined Athletic at 17 but after his top-level debut in August 2018, he suffered a ACL injury, being released, a relegation and a return before he could truly get a chance, making his comeback to live the best days of the club’s history.
“Entering the youth system thinking you won’t reach the senior squad but every phase you go through you’re remaining 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 February 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games with them and my knee gave way.
“A massive setback but In retrospect as a turning point because it shifted the outlook. Healing from a serious ailment is challenging, but it aids growth. You develop habits you didn’t have. Previously I was casual, but I did the sessions and then return home, typical youth behavior. In the facility, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Strength training. With hip imbalance, correct it. Assuming ankle mobility is good, improve it more. All the minor details: do them.
“In the first team you’re going to collide with opponents who have crashed into players repeatedly. Extremely powerful. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. Thus incidents occur. Current photos and it’s totally different. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but further effort is needed. Teammates are set, really ready; the same applies.”
You also have to play. Guruzeta departed in tears in the pandemic season, at 23 years old, moving to a lower level. At Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he got three strikes in numerous matches. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the he found his form. “Many experience this: temporary moves, ended deals. Should you reverse it, work, believe, and when eventually they need someone where you play, a return could happen. Preparation is key. Upon the recall, a fantasy realized. The trophy success, compete continentally, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
No wonder he says appreciate the experience. Particularly after the previous season which, sometimes, was involved suffering. After being leading scorer with sixteen goals, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|