‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s path from rehabilitation to goals with Athletic
The debut appearance the Athletic striker featured in England, an teenage appearing for the youth squad against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at Wycombe’s stadium in fall 2015, he found the net. The second time he played in England, against the English side following that, he converted. Another occasion, against the Citizens six weeks after that, indeed, he scored again. When he returned to Manchester to play against the Red Devils at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he found the back of the net. A spectacular strike, too. “Actually,” he states, “it’s one of the best goals in my career.” Thus the club did what they had to do: they substituted him.
“I got well angry,” the attacker says, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. We traveled to face United and I performed well. They kept me out of the final 45 minutes: I hadn’t yet signed deal, goals were flowing, many stories circulated, as you’d expect. I don’t know about the Magpies’ pursuit, but I came across reports about Manchester United, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea how true it was, but had they contacted me, I’d have chosen to stay at Athletic. I’m fortunate to be here.”
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At the training ground, the city, the day’s first practice is ready to commence; after it, the short journey to Loiu airport and another flight to the UK, on this occasion to play Newcastle in the Champions League on midweek. Just saying those two words makes Guruzeta smile. This is proving a tough year for the club, partly because of the pressures of being here. Losing in stoppage time in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side in the continental stage. However, look at the overall situation, the big nights he has lived and those that lie ahead, and a sense of thankful reflection from him.
In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, the striker has been a Europa League semi-finalist, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river flanked by a huge crowd after securing the Spanish cup, the club’s first trophy in a long wait. Currently he stands as the club’s leading marksman in the UCL, where they are unique and making their first appearance in a decade. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
He considered it challenging enough just to break into the senior squad and he was right. The son of the ex-La Real star the former professional and a season ticket holder at the club that are now his rivals, the forward is a graduate of Antiguoko, the San Sebastián club that produced the Arsenal manager, the former star and the Bournemouth manager. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after his top-level debut in August 2018, he suffered a ACL injury, being released, a demotion and a return before he could truly get a chance, coming back aged 26 to live the best days of his career.
“Joining the setup not expecting to reach the senior squad but with every stage you advance through you’re persisting and you can observe the approach. You get there but … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in half a dozen appearances between his debut and that period. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances with them and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A massive setback but I look back on it as something positive because it made me change the perspective. Recovering from a long-term injury is challenging, but it aids growth. You adopt practices previously lacking. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I would go to training and then return home, typical youth behavior. At Lezama, all resources are available, so take full advantage. Work, precaution. Hit the weights. If your hips aren’t balanced, correct it. If your ankles are a 10, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.
“Among professionals you’re going to face physical challenges who have been in battles repeatedly. Extremely powerful. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. So what happens, happens. Present-day images and the change is dramatic. Recovery revealed that. Sessions end, but further effort is needed. Everyone else is ready, really ready; the same applies.”
You also have to play. He left emotionally in that year, in his early twenties, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he scored three times in forty appearances. At Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the goals started to flow. “It’s a common path: loans, terminated contracts. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and when eventually they need someone for your role, a return could happen. Readiness is vital. Upon the recall, a fantasy realized. Lifting the cup, play in Europe, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
No wonder he says this is to be enjoyed. Particularly after the previous season which, sometimes, was about endurance. From top scorer with 16 in 2023-24, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
