‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s road from injury table to scoring with the Basque club

Thehe first time Gorka Guruzeta competed in English soil, an teenage playing for the youth squad against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at Wycombe’s stadium in September 2015, he found the net. The second time he took the field in the country, against the English side two months later, he scored. Another occasion, against the Citizens not long later, sure enough, he scored again. When he returned to the city to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he did it once more. It was a superb volley, as well. “In fact,” he states, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve netted.” Therefore the team did what was necessary: he was replaced.

“I got well angry,” the Athletic striker says, then chuckling. “There must be a video somewhere. We went to play United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the final 45 minutes: I hadn’t yet signed deal, I was scoring goals, there were lots of rumours, it’s typical. I’m unsure regarding interest from Newcastle, but I came across reports about Man United, the usual talk. I have no idea the validity, but even if they had called, I’d have chosen to stay at the club. It’s a privilege.”

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At Lezama, the city, the morning session is about to start; post-session, the quick travel to the airport and another trip to Britain, this time to play Newcastle in the European elite competition on Wednesday. Uttering the name lights him up. It has become a tough year for the team, partially owing to the demands of competing at this level. Defeated late on in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their recent league fixtures and been defeated by Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in the continental stage. But, look at the overall situation, the memorable evenings and those that lie ahead, and he feels a calm gratitude within him.

In the the period since he had come back to Athletic, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, stopped at the gates the showpiece event by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway flanked by a million fans after securing the Spanish cup, the club’s first trophy in a long wait. Now he is the top goal-getter in the Champions League, where they are countercultural and making their first appearance in a long period. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he states.

He considered it hard enough just to earn a spot and that proved true. The son of the ex-La Real star the former professional and a dedicated fan at the club that are now his rivals, the forward is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that developed the coach, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after his first-team bow in the 2018 season, he experienced a ACL injury, the cut, a relegation and a recall before he could finally secure an opportunity, coming back aged 26 to live the best days of their lives.

“You go into the academy not expecting to reach the senior squad but every phase you advance through you’re remaining and you can notice the proximity. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in six games between his bow and that period. “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 made me change the way I saw things. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it aids growth. You adopt practices previously lacking. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then head home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, work on that. With decent ankle function, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.

“Among professionals you’re going to collide with opponents who have experienced contact repeatedly. Highly robust. I look at photos of me before: my physique was slight. Thus incidents occur. Look at pictures of me now and the improvement is clear. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but additional work remains. Teammates are set, really ready; the same applies.”

Minutes are crucial. The striker moved emotionally in the pandemic season, in his early twenties, moving to a lower level. With Sabadell in that season, he netted three goals in 40 games. With Amorebieta in the following period, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: transfers, releases. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and when eventually they need someone in your position, recall is possible. Preparation is key. When the opportunity came, a fantasy realized. The trophy success, compete continentally, and make the UCL … pfff.”

Little surprise he states savor the moment. Particularly after the prior campaign which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with 16 in 2023-24, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|