‘All those silly things – do them’: Guruzeta’s path from rehabilitation to success with Athletic
Whenhe initial occasion the Spanish forward featured in English soil, an young playing for the youth squad against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at the English ground in September 2015, he found the net. During his subsequent match he appeared in the country, against the English side two months later, he netted. Another occasion, against Pep Guardiola’s team not long later, sure enough, he did it once more. When he returned to Manchester to face United at Leigh’s ground in that year, he found the back of the net. It was a superb volley, also. “Actually,” he states, “it ranks among my finest in my career.” Therefore the team did their duty: they substituted him.
“I became very upset,” the forward reveals, and then he starts laughing. “There must be a video somewhere. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They didn’t let me play the latter period: I hadn’t yet signed my contract, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, it’s typical. No confirmation on interest from Newcastle, but I recall seeing about Man United, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea if it was accurate, but supposing an offer came, I’d have chosen to stay at Athletic. It’s a privilege.”
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At the training ground, the city, the early training is set to begin; following that, the short journey to the airport and a further journey to Britain, now to play Newcastle in the European elite competition on the upcoming match. Uttering the name makes Guruzeta smile. It has become a challenging campaign for the club, due in part to the pressures of competing at this level. Losing in stoppage time in the weekend clash, they have won only one of their past eight league games and lost against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in Europe. However, consider the broader view, the big nights he has lived and those that lie ahead, and a sense of thankful reflection within him.
In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, Gorka has been a Europa League semi-finalist, stopped at the gates a final at home by Manchester United, and has ridden an historic vessel through the waterway flanked by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the club’s first trophy in 40 years. Currently he stands as the club’s leading marksman in the UCL, where they are unique and returning after absence in a decade. “This was beyond my dreams,” he states.
He considered it challenging enough just to earn a spot and he was right. Born to the one-time rival player the former professional and a regular attendee at the opposition side, Gorka is from the Antiguoko academy, the San Sebastián club that produced the Arsenal manager, the former star and the Bournemouth manager. He joined Athletic at 17 but after his first-team bow in that summer, he experienced a serious knee problem, being released, a relegation and a call back before he could truly get a chance, making his comeback to live the best days of his career.
“Entering the youth system doubting you’ll make the top level but every phase you advance through you’re remaining and you can see it getting closer. You get there but … you have to leave.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in half a dozen appearances between his bow and February 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games at that level and my knee gave way.
“A massive setback but I look back on it as a beneficial experience because it made me change the outlook. The rehabilitation process is hard, but it aids growth. You adopt practices new to you. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I did the sessions and then return home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, you have everything, so utilize it all. Work, precaution. Strength training. Should your hips be uneven, correct it. If your ankles are a 10, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: do them.
“Among professionals you’re going to collide with opponents who have been in battles countless occasions. Highly robust. Seeing previous pictures: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Current photos and the improvement is clear. The setback taught me. Training finishes, but additional work remains. Peers are prepared, really ready; the same applies.”
Game time is essential. He left in tears in that year, aged 23, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in that season, he got three strikes in forty appearances. During his Amorebieta stint in the latter part of the season, the goals started to flow. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. With a turnaround, dedication, confidence, and should the time come the requirement appears in your position, recall is possible. You have to be ready. When they decided to call again, a fantasy realized. Lifting the cup, European football, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks this is to be enjoyed. Particularly after the prior campaign which, sometimes, was about endurance. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|