‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s path from rehabilitation to scoring with the Basque club
Thehe debut appearance the Spanish forward featured in England, an 18-year-old representing the reserve team against Bundesliga youth at the English ground in fall 2015, he scored. During his subsequent match he appeared in the country, against the Black Cats weeks after, he converted. Another occasion, against the Citizens soon after, indeed, he scored again. As he revisited to the city to take on Manchester United at Leigh’s ground in that year, he scored again. An excellent finish, as well. “In fact,” he remarks, “it ranks among my finest I’ve netted.” Therefore the team did their duty: they substituted him.
“I became very upset,” the forward says, before breaking into laughter. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I performed well. They kept me out of the final 45 minutes: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, I kept finding the net, many stories circulated, it’s typical. I don’t know about interest from Newcastle, but I came across reports about Manchester United, standard transfer gossip. I’m not certain the validity, but even if they had called, I’d have chosen to stay at the club. It’s a privilege.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At the training ground, the Basque Country, the early training is ready to commence; after it, the brief trip to Loiu airport and another flight to the UK, now to play Newcastle in the UCL on midweek. Just saying those two words brings a smile to his face. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for the team, partly because of the pressures of being here. Beaten in added time in the derby on Saturday, they have secured just a single victory of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and the German side in the continental stage. But, take in the big picture, the major occasions he’s experienced and those that lie ahead, and he feels a calm gratitude about him.
In the three years since he had come back to Athletic, Gorka has been a final four contender in Europe, prevented from reaching a final at home by the English giants, and has traveled on a traditional boat up the Nervión estuary flanked by a huge crowd after winning the Copa del Rey, the club’s first trophy in 40 years. He’s now the club’s leading marksman in the European competition, where they are distinctive and debuting in a decade. “This was beyond my dreams,” he admits.
The player believed it hard enough just to make the first team and that proved true. The son of the one-time rival player Xabi Guruzeta and a dedicated fan at the team he now opposes, Gorka is a graduate of Antiguoko, the San Sebastián club that produced Mikel Arteta, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. He joined Athletic at his teens but after his top-level debut in that summer, he suffered a torn cruciate, being released, a demotion and a recall before he could earn his place, coming back aged 26 to enjoy the highlights of their lives.
“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the first team but each step you go through you’re remaining and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in a handful of matches between his first game and that period. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games with them and my knee gave way.
“It was a huge blow but I reflect on it as a beneficial experience because it forced me to alter the way I saw things. The rehabilitation process is difficult, but it helps. You cultivate routines you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I attended practice and then head home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, you have everything, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Hit the weights. If your hips aren’t balanced, correct it. If your ankles are a 10, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: do them.
“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have crashed into players 200,000 times. They’re so strong. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Present-day images and the change is dramatic. Injury made me see that. Sessions end, but additional work remains. Everyone else is ready, really ready; no exceptions.”
Minutes are crucial. He left upset in that year, at 23 years old, moving to a lower level. With Sabadell in 2020-21, he scored three times in forty appearances. During his Amorebieta stint in the second half of 2021-22, the goals started to flow. “Players go through it: transfers, releases. With a turnaround, effort, faith, and should the time come they need someone in your position, recall is possible. Preparation is key. When they decided to call again, a fantasy realized. Lifting the cup, European football, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Little surprise he states appreciate the experience. Particularly after the previous season which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with 16 in 2023-24, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
