‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s journey from injury table to scoring with Athletic Bilbao

Thehe first time the Spanish forward competed in England, an teenage playing for the reserve team against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at the English ground in the 2015 season, he found the net. During his subsequent match he took the field in England, against the Black Cats weeks after, he scored. Another occasion, against the Citizens soon after, well, he did it once more. When he returned to the city to face United at Leigh Sports Village in that year, he found the back of the net. It was a superb volley, also. “In fact,” he says, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve netted.” So Athletic did their duty: he was replaced.

“I became very upset,” the attacker says, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. We went to play United and I performed well. I wasn’t allowed to feature the final 45 minutes: my contract wasn’t finalized deal, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, you know how it is. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I remember reading about Man United, the usual talk. I’m not certain how true it was, but even if they had called, my desire was to remain at Athletic. I feel lucky to be here.”

La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph

At the facility, the Basque Country, the morning session is set to begin; after it, the short journey to Loiu airport and another flight to England, this time to play Newcastle in the Champions League on midweek. Mentioning that phrase makes Guruzeta smile. This is proving a challenging campaign for the team, due in part to the pressures of being here. Defeated late on in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and fallen to the Gunners and the German side in Europe. However, take in the big picture, the memorable evenings and future challenges, and he feels a calm gratitude within him.

In the the period since he had returned to the club, the striker has been a Europa League semi-finalist, denied at the last hurdle a domestic final by Manchester United, and has ridden an historic vessel up the Nervión estuary accompanied by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the team’s initial silverware in a long wait. Now he is Athletic’s top scorer in the UCL, where they are unique and making their first appearance in ten years. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he states.

Guruzeta thought it challenging enough just to earn a spot and he was right. As the child of the former Real Sociedad player his father and a dedicated fan at the club that are now his rivals, the forward is a graduate of Antiguoko, the local academy that developed the Arsenal manager, Xabi Alonso and the Bournemouth manager. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after his top-level debut in the 2018 season, he experienced a torn cruciate, dropped, a drop in category and a return before he could earn his place, making his comeback to experience the peak of their lives.

“Joining the setup thinking you won’t reach the top level but with every stage you progress through you’re persisting and you can observe the approach. You get there but … you have to leave.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in a handful of matches between his first game and February 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches with them and I suffered the ACL injury.

“A severe disappointment but I look back on it as a turning point because it made me change the perspective. Recovering from a long-term injury is difficult, but it helps. You develop habits new to you. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I attended practice and then head home, like when you’re a kid. In the facility, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Strength training. If your hips aren’t balanced, correct it. Assuming ankle mobility is good, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.

“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have crashed into players countless occasions. Highly robust. Reviewing old images: I had slender legs. Thus incidents occur. Look at pictures of me now and it’s totally different. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but there’s more to do. Teammates are set, really ready; you have to be too.”

Minutes are crucial. The striker moved emotionally in the pandemic season, at 23 years old, joining the second tier. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he netted three goals in 40 games. At Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the he found his form. “It’s a common path: temporary moves, ended deals. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and should the time come the requirement appears in your position, they might come back for you. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, an aspiration fulfilled. The trophy success, compete continentally, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”

Understandably he remarks savor the moment. All the more so after the previous season which, sometimes, was about endurance. After being leading scorer with 16 in 2023-24, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|