‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s path from rehabilitation to goals with Athletic
Whenhe debut appearance the Spanish forward competed in the UK, an teenage appearing for Athletic Bilbao B against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at Wycombe’s stadium in the 2015 season, he scored. During his subsequent match he played in the country, against Sunderland weeks after, he scored. His third outing, against Pep Guardiola’s team soon after, well, he scored again. As he revisited to Manchester to play against the Red Devils at the sports complex in 2017, he found the back of the net. It was a superb volley, also. “Actually,” he states, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve netted.” Thus the club did their duty: they substituted him.
“I became very upset,” the attacker admits, then chuckling. “There must be a video somewhere. We went to play United and I was pretty good. I wasn’t allowed to feature the final 45 minutes: my contract wasn’t finalized agreement, I was scoring goals, 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 have no idea how true it was, but had they contacted me, I’d have chosen to stay at Bilbao. I feel lucky to be here.”
Real Sociedad release pressure with surreal victory in Basque derby like no other
At Lezama, the city, the day’s first practice is about to start; following that, the short journey to Loiu and another flight to England, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the Champions League on midweek. Mentioning that phrase brings a smile to his face. It has become a challenging campaign for the team, due in part to the pressures of their participation. Defeated late on in the derby on Saturday, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and fallen to the Gunners and Dortmund in European competition. But, take in the big picture, the big nights he has lived and future challenges, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation within him.
In the three years since he had come back to Athletic, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, denied at the last hurdle a final at home by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary accompanied by a million fans after lifting the trophy, the club’s first trophy in a long wait. Currently he stands as the top goal-getter in the UCL, where they are distinctive and making their first appearance in a long period. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he states.
He considered it difficult enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. Born to the former Real Sociedad player his father and a regular attendee at the opposition side, Gorka is from the Antiguoko academy, the local academy that developed Mikel Arteta, the former star and the tactician. He joined Athletic at 17 but after his top-level debut in August 2018, he experienced a ACL injury, being released, a demotion and a return before he could finally secure an opportunity, returning at 26 to experience the peak of the club’s history.
“Entering the youth system thinking you won’t reach the first team but with every stage you advance through you’re remaining and you can notice the proximity. You get there but … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in a handful of matches between his debut and that period. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games at that level and my knee gave way.
“It was a huge blow but I reflect on it as a beneficial experience because it shifted the way I saw things. Healing from a serious ailment is hard, but it aids growth. You develop habits you didn’t have. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then go home, typical youth behavior. At Lezama, all resources are available, so take full advantage. Practice, prevention. Strength training. Should your hips be uneven, work on that. If your ankles are a 10, make it a 12 or a 14. Every small aspect: do them.
“In the first team you’re going to collide with opponents who have experienced contact 200,000 times. Highly robust. Seeing previous pictures: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Current photos and it’s totally different. Recovery revealed that. Training finishes, but further effort is needed. Teammates are set, really ready; you have to be too.”
Game time is essential. He left emotionally in the pandemic season, at 23 years old, dropping into the second division. At Sabadell in 2020-21, he got three strikes in forty appearances. At Amorebieta in the following period, the goals started to flow. “Many experience this: transfers, releases. Should you reverse it, dedication, confidence, and when eventually a vacancy arises where you play, a return could happen. Preparation is key. Upon the recall, an aspiration fulfilled. To then win the Copa del Rey, European football, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks appreciate the experience. Especially after the prior campaign which, on occasions, was focused on persistence. From top scorer with 16 in 2023-24, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
