‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s journey from injury table to success with the Basque club
Whenhe first time the Athletic striker competed in England, an teenage playing for the reserve team against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at Wycombe’s stadium in September 2015, he hit the target. The second time he played in England, against Sunderland following that, he netted. The third time, against Pep Guardiola’s team six weeks after that, indeed, he repeated the feat. When he returned to the northwest to face United at Leigh Sports Village in that year, he found the back of the net. An excellent finish, also. “In fact,” he remarks, “it ranks among my finest I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they substituted him.
“I became very upset,” the attacker admits, and then he starts laughing. “There must be a video somewhere. Our match against United and I was in fine form. They kept me out of the second half: I hadn’t yet signed deal, I kept finding the net, speculation was rife, it’s typical. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I recall seeing about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea if it was accurate, but had they contacted me, I would have wanted to stay at the club. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At the training ground, the Basque Country, the early training is about to start; post-session, the short journey to Loiu and another flight to England, on this occasion to face Newcastle in the UCL on midweek. Uttering the name lights him up. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for the team, partially owing to the requirements of competing at this level. Losing in stoppage time in the derby on Saturday, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and fallen to the Gunners and Borussia Dortmund in European competition. Yet, look at the overall situation, the major occasions he’s experienced and future challenges, and he feels a calm gratitude about him.
In the 36 months since he had rejoined the team, Gorka has been a Europa League semi-finalist, stopped at the gates the showpiece event by United, and has ridden an historic vessel up the Nervión estuary accompanied by a million fans after winning the Copa del Rey, the team’s initial silverware in a long wait. He’s now the club’s leading marksman in the UCL, where they are countercultural and making their first appearance in ten years. “This was beyond my dreams,” he admits.
The player believed it challenging enough just to earn a spot and he was right. As the child of the former Real Sociedad player Xabi Guruzeta and a dedicated fan at the club that are now his rivals, Guruzeta is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that produced the coach, the former star and Andoni Iraola. He joined Athletic at 17 but after his top-level debut in August 2018, he suffered a torn cruciate, the cut, a relegation and a call back before he could finally secure an opportunity, returning at 26 to experience the peak of his career.
“You go into the academy doubting you’ll make the top level but with every stage you progress through you’re persisting and you can notice the proximity. You get there but … departure is necessary.” He featured briefly in six matches in six games between his debut 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 massive setback but In retrospect as something positive because it forced me to alter the outlook. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it helps. You cultivate routines previously lacking. It’s not about neglect, but I did the sessions and then go home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, you have everything, so take full advantage. Practice, prevention. Hit the weights. With hip imbalance, work on that. If your ankles are a 10, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.
“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have been in battles repeatedly. Extremely powerful. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. Thus incidents occur. Present-day images and the improvement is clear. The setback taught me. Training finishes, but additional work remains. Teammates are set, really ready; no exceptions.”
Minutes are crucial. Guruzeta departed in tears in that year, at 23 years old, moving to a lower level. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he netted three goals in 40 games. At Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the scoring picked up. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. If you turn it round, work, believe, and should the time come a vacancy arises for your role, recall is possible. Readiness is vital. When the opportunity came, a fantasy realized. The trophy success, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks this is to be enjoyed. All the more so after the prior campaign which, on occasions, was involved suffering. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
