‘Every minor detail – execute them’: The striker’s path from gurney to goals with Athletic Bilbao
Thehe first time Gorka Guruzeta featured in the UK, an young representing the reserve team against German opponents at the English ground in fall 2015, he scored. The second time he played in the country, against the Black Cats following that, he scored. His third outing, against Pep Guardiola’s team six weeks after that, sure enough, he repeated the feat. When he returned to the northwest to play against the Red Devils at the sports complex in that year, he found the back of the net. A spectacular strike, also. “In fact,” he states, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve netted.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they took him off.
“I got well angry,” the Athletic striker reveals, then chuckling. “There must be a video somewhere. We traveled to face United and I was in fine form. They didn’t let me play the latter period: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, you know how it is. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I came across reports about Manchester United, the typical thing. I have no idea the validity, but had they contacted me, my desire was to remain at Athletic. It’s a privilege.”
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At Lezama, the Basque Country, the morning session is about to start; after it, the brief trip to Loiu and another flight to England, now to face Newcastle in the UCL on Wednesday. Uttering the name brings a smile to his face. It has become a difficult season for the club, partly because of the requirements of being here. Beaten in added time in the derby on Saturday, they have managed just one win of their last eight matches and been defeated by Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in Europe. Yet, consider the broader view, the memorable evenings and upcoming events, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation within him.
In the three years since he had come back to Athletic, Gorka has been a semi-final participant, stopped at the gates a domestic final by the English giants, and has traveled on a traditional boat along the Nervión river surrounded by a million fans after securing the Spanish cup, the team’s initial silverware in a long wait. Currently he stands as the club’s leading marksman in the European competition, where they are unique and returning after absence in a long period. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he admits.
Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. The son of the one-time rival player the former professional and a dedicated fan at the team he now opposes, Guruzeta is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that nurtured the coach, Xabi Alonso and the tactician. He joined Athletic at 17 but after his first-team bow in the 2018 season, he suffered a serious knee problem, being released, a demotion and a recall before he could earn his place, returning at 26 to live the best days of his career.
“Entering the youth system thinking you won’t reach the first team but with every stage you go through you’re persisting and you can see it getting closer. You arrive and then … you’re sent away.” He featured briefly in six matches in six games between his bow and February 2019. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances there and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A severe disappointment but I look back on it as something positive because it shifted the way I saw things. The rehabilitation process is hard, but it aids growth. You adopt practices new to you. It’s not about neglect, but I would go to training and then go home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, all resources are available, so do everything. Practice, prevention. Get in the gym. If your hips aren’t balanced, address that. If your ankles are a 10, improve it more. All the minor details: execute them.
“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have crashed into players 200,000 times. They’re so strong. Seeing previous pictures: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Present-day images and the change is dramatic. Injury made me see that. Practice concludes, but additional work remains. Teammates are set, really ready; you have to be too.”
Minutes are crucial. The striker moved in tears in 2020, aged 23, moving to a lower level. At Sabadell in 2020-21, he netted three goals in 40 games. With Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the goals started to flow. “Many experience this: temporary moves, ended deals. If you turn it round, work, believe, and should the time come they need someone where you play, they might come back for you. You have to be ready. Upon the recall, it was a dream come true. To then win the Copa del Rey, European football, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Little surprise he states savor the moment. Especially after the previous season which, sometimes, was about endurance. After being leading scorer with a high tally, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
