‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s journey from injury table to success with Athletic Bilbao
Thehe initial occasion the Athletic striker played in English soil, an young playing for the reserve team against Bundesliga youth at the English ground in fall 2015, he found the net. The second time he played in the country, against the Black Cats two months later, he converted. The third time, against the Citizens not long later, well, he repeated the feat. Upon his comeback to the northwest to take on Manchester United at Leigh Sports Village in 2017, he did it once more. An excellent finish, also. “Truly,” he says, “it ranks among my finest in my career.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they took him off.
“I got well angry,” the forward admits, then chuckling. “There must be a video somewhere. We went to play United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the latter period: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, I was scoring goals, speculation was rife, it’s typical. I don’t know about interest from Newcastle, but I remember reading about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea if it was accurate, but had they contacted me, my desire was to remain at Bilbao. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At the facility, Bilbao, the early training is ready to commence; after it, the brief trip to the airport and another flight to Britain, this time to take on the Magpies in the UCL on the upcoming match. Uttering the name makes Guruzeta smile. It’s turning out to be a difficult season for Athletic, partially owing to the pressures of being here. Losing in stoppage time in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their recent league fixtures and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side in Europe. But, look at the overall situation, the memorable evenings and upcoming events, and a sense of thankful reflection from him.
In the three years since he had returned to the club, the striker has been a final four contender in Europe, stopped at the gates the showpiece event by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway surrounded by a million fans after winning the Copa del Rey, the club’s first trophy in four decades. He’s now the club’s leading marksman in the UCL, where they are distinctive and returning after absence in ten years. “I never imagined this,” he admits.
He considered it difficult enough just to make the first team and that proved true. As the child of the one-time rival player Xabi Guruzeta and a season ticket holder at the opposition side, the forward is a graduate of Antiguoko, the local academy that produced the coach, the legendary midfielder and Andoni Iraola. He signed for Athletic at seventeen but after making his senior debut in the 2018 season, he suffered a torn cruciate, dropped, a relegation and a return before he could truly get a chance, coming back aged 26 to enjoy the highlights of their lives.
“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the top level but each step you go through you’re remaining and you can notice the proximity. You get there but … departure is necessary.” He featured briefly in six matches in half a dozen appearances between his bow and that period. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances at that level and my knee gave way.
“A massive setback but I look back on it as a beneficial experience because it shifted the way I saw things. Recovering from a long-term injury is difficult, but it’s beneficial. You cultivate routines you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I attended practice and then return home, typical youth behavior. In the facility, you have everything, so take full advantage. Training, prehab. Hit the weights. If your hips aren’t balanced, work on that. If your ankles are a 10, make it a 12 or a 14. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.
“Among professionals you’re going to crash into players who have experienced contact countless occasions. They’re so strong. Reviewing old images: my legs are chicken legs. Thus incidents occur. Current photos and the change is dramatic. The setback taught me. Training finishes, but further effort is needed. Everyone else is ready, really ready; you have to be too.”
Minutes are crucial. Guruzeta departed in tears in the pandemic season, at 23 years old, moving to a lower level. During his Sabadell spell in 2020-21, he netted three goals in numerous matches. At Amorebieta in the following period, the he found his form. “Players go through it: loans, terminated contracts. If you turn it round, work, believe, and when eventually the requirement appears where you play, they might come back for you. Preparation is key. Upon the recall, an aspiration fulfilled. The trophy success, compete continentally, and make the UCL … pfff.”
No wonder he says savor the moment. Especially after the previous season which, at times, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with sixteen goals, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|