‘Every minor detail – execute them’: The striker’s path from gurney to scoring with the Basque club
Whenhe initial occasion Gorka Guruzeta competed in English soil, an teenage appearing for the reserve team against Bundesliga youth at Wycombe’s stadium in fall 2015, he hit the target. During his subsequent match he played in British turf, against Sunderland two months later, he netted. His third outing, against the Citizens six weeks after that, well, he repeated the feat. Upon his comeback to the city to face United at Leigh Sports Village in the 2017 season, he scored again. It was a superb volley, too. “Actually,” he says, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did their duty: he was replaced.
“I was furious,” the attacker says, and then he starts laughing. “Probably there’s a recording. We went to play United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the second half: I hadn’t yet signed deal, I was scoring goals, there were lots of rumours, you know how it is. I don’t know about the Magpies’ pursuit, but I came across reports about Manchester United, standard transfer gossip. It’s unclear the validity, but had they contacted me, I’d have chosen to stay at Athletic. It’s a privilege.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At Lezama, Bilbao, the early training is about to start; after it, the short journey to Loiu airport and another flight to the UK, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the Champions League on midweek. Just saying those two words makes Guruzeta smile. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for the club, partially owing to the requirements of their participation. Beaten in added time in the derby on Saturday, they have managed just one win of their recent league fixtures and been defeated by Arsenal and Dortmund in European competition. But, take in the big picture, the major occasions he’s experienced and those that lie ahead, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation within him.
In the 36 months since he had rejoined the team, Gorka has been a semi-final participant, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river surrounded by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the team’s initial silverware in 40 years. Currently he stands as Athletic’s top scorer in the Champions League, where they are unique and returning after absence in a decade. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he states.
Guruzeta thought it hard 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, the forward is from the Antiguoko academy, the Donostiarra team that nurtured the coach, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola. He signed for Athletic at 17 but after making his senior debut in August 2018, he experienced a torn cruciate, dropped, a relegation and a call back before he could truly get a chance, coming back aged 26 to live the best days of his career.
“Entering the youth system thinking you won’t reach the senior squad but every phase you go through you’re still there and you can notice the proximity. You make it and … departure is necessary.” He had limited game time in half a dozen appearances between his bow and that period. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games with them and I tear my cruciate.
“A massive setback but I reflect on it as a beneficial experience because it made me change the perspective. Recovering from a long-term injury is difficult, but it helps. You cultivate routines previously lacking. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then head home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, all resources are available, so take full advantage. Training, prehab. Hit the weights. If your hips aren’t balanced, correct it. With decent ankle function, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.
“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have crashed into players repeatedly. They’re so strong. Seeing previous pictures: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Present-day images and the improvement is clear. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but there’s more to do. Peers are prepared, really ready; no exceptions.”
Game time is essential. Guruzeta departed in tears in the pandemic season, in his early twenties, joining the second tier. During his Sabadell spell in that season, he got three strikes in numerous matches. During his Amorebieta stint in the latter part of the season, the he found his form. “It’s a common path: loans, terminated contracts. With a turnaround, dedication, confidence, and should the time come they need someone for your role, they might come back for you. You have to be ready. Upon the recall, it was a dream come true. Lifting the cup, compete continentally, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks savor the moment. All the more so after the prior campaign which, on occasions, was involved suffering. After being leading scorer with sixteen goals, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
