‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s road from gurney to goals with Athletic Bilbao
Whenhe first time the Spanish forward featured in England, an young playing for the youth squad against German opponents at the English ground in the 2015 season, he found the net. The second time he played in British turf, against the English side weeks after, he netted. His third outing, against Manchester City not long later, indeed, he scored again. Upon his comeback to the city to face United at the sports complex in that year, he did it once more. An excellent finish, too. “Actually,” he states, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did what was necessary: they took him off.
“I was furious,” the Athletic striker says, before breaking into laughter. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I performed well. They didn’t let me play the final 45 minutes: I was without a signed agreement, I was scoring goals, many stories circulated, as you’d expect. No confirmation on Newcastle being interested, but I recall seeing about Man United, the usual talk. It’s unclear the validity, but had they contacted me, I’d have chosen to stay at Athletic. It’s a privilege.”
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At Lezama, the Basque Country, the early training is about to start; after it, the quick travel to Loiu and another flight to Britain, this time to face Newcastle in the Champions League on the upcoming match. Just saying those two words brings a smile to his face. This is proving a tough year for the team, partially owing to the requirements of their participation. Losing in stoppage time in the derby on Saturday, they have won only one of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and Dortmund in European competition. Yet, consider the broader view, the big nights he has lived and those that lie ahead, and a sense of thankful reflection about 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 a final at home by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway flanked by a huge crowd after winning the Copa del Rey, the first title in a long wait. Now he is Athletic’s top scorer in the Champions League, where they are distinctive and debuting in a decade. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he says.
He considered it difficult enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. Born to the ex-La Real star his father and a season ticket holder at the club that are now his rivals, Guruzeta is a product of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that developed the Arsenal manager, the former star and Andoni Iraola. He joined Athletic at his teens but after making his senior debut in August 2018, he went through a torn cruciate, dropped, a relegation and a return before he could finally secure an opportunity, making his comeback to live the best days of their lives.
“Entering the youth system doubting you’ll make the first team but every phase you go through you’re still there and you can see it getting closer. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in six games between his first game and early 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games at that level 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. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it helps. You cultivate routines new to you. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I attended practice and then head home, typical youth behavior. At Lezama, you have everything, so take full advantage. Training, prehab. Hit the weights. If your hips aren’t balanced, correct it. Assuming ankle mobility is good, make it a 12 or a 14. All the minor details: execute them.
“Among professionals you’re going to crash into players who have been in battles repeatedly. Extremely powerful. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. Thus incidents occur. Look at pictures of me now and the change is dramatic. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but further effort is needed. Peers are prepared, really ready; no exceptions.”
Game time is essential. The striker moved in tears in 2020, aged 23, joining the second tier. At Sabadell in that season, he netted three goals in 40 games. With Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the he found his form. “It’s a common path: loans, terminated contracts. If you turn it round, dedication, confidence, and when eventually a vacancy arises in your position, recall is possible. You have to be ready. When they decided to call again, a fantasy realized. The trophy success, European football, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Little surprise he states savor the moment. Particularly after last year which, on occasions, was about endurance. From top scorer with a high tally, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
