‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s path from rehabilitation to scoring with Athletic
Thehe first time the Spanish forward played in English soil, an 18-year-old representing the reserve team against German opponents at the English ground in fall 2015, he scored. The second time he played in England, against Sunderland weeks after, he netted. Another occasion, against Manchester City six weeks after that, sure enough, he repeated the feat. When he returned to Manchester to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he did it once more. It was a superb volley, also. “Actually,” he says, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve netted.” Thus the club did what was necessary: he was replaced.
“I was furious,” the attacker says, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. We traveled to face United and I was in fine form. They didn’t let me play the final 45 minutes: my contract wasn’t finalized deal, I kept finding the net, speculation was rife, it’s typical. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I recall seeing about Manchester United, the usual talk. I have no idea how true it was, but had they contacted me, my desire was to remain at Athletic. I’m fortunate to be here.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At the facility, the Basque Country, the early training is about to start; following that, the brief trip to Loiu airport and another trip to Britain, on this occasion to play Newcastle in the Champions League on midweek. Uttering the name makes Guruzeta smile. It has become a challenging campaign for the team, due in part to the pressures of their participation. Beaten in added time in the weekend clash, they have won only one of their past eight league games and lost against Arsenal and the German side in European competition. But, take in the big picture, the major occasions he’s experienced and upcoming events, and a sense of thankful reflection from him.
In the the period since he had returned to the club, Guruzeta has been a Europa League semi-finalist, stopped at the gates a final at home by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary surrounded by a million fans after lifting the trophy, the first title in four decades. Currently he stands as Athletic’s top scorer in the European competition, where they are distinctive and returning after absence in a decade. “I never imagined this,” he says.
The player believed it challenging enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. Born to the ex-La Real star his father and a regular attendee at the opposition side, the forward is a product of Antiguoko, the local academy that nurtured Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola. His move to Athletic came at 17 but after his first-team bow in that summer, he went through a torn cruciate, the cut, a drop in category and a return before he could finally secure an opportunity, making his comeback to live the best days of his career.
“You go into the academy thinking you won’t reach the first team but each step you advance through you’re remaining and you can observe the approach. You get there but … departure is necessary.” He had limited game time in half a dozen appearances between his bow and that period. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games with them and my knee gave way.
“A severe disappointment but In retrospect as a beneficial experience because it forced me to alter the way I saw things. The rehabilitation process is hard, but it helps. You cultivate routines you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I did the sessions and then go home, like when you’re a kid. In the facility, all resources are available, so do everything. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, address that. If your ankles are a 10, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: do them.
“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have experienced contact countless occasions. Highly robust. Seeing previous pictures: I had slender legs. Injuries are inevitable. Current photos and the improvement is clear. The setback taught me. Training finishes, but additional work remains. Teammates are set, really ready; the same applies.”
Game time is essential. He left upset in that year, at 23 years old, joining the second tier. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he got three strikes in 40 games. During his Amorebieta stint in the second half of 2021-22, the scoring picked up. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. Should you reverse it, work, believe, and if one day they need someone where you play, they might come back for you. Readiness is vital. When they decided to call again, a fantasy realized. To then win the Copa del Rey, compete continentally, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Little surprise he states savor the moment. Especially after last year which, on occasions, was involved suffering. From top scorer with 16 in 2023-24, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
