‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s journey from gurney to success with the Basque club
The initial occasion the Athletic striker competed in English soil, an 18-year-old representing the youth squad against German opponents at Wycombe’s stadium in the 2015 season, he found the net. On his next visit he played in the country, against Sunderland following that, he converted. His third outing, against Pep Guardiola’s team not long later, indeed, he scored again. As he revisited to the northwest to take on Manchester United at Leigh’s ground in that year, he found the back of the net. A spectacular strike, as well. “Truly,” he remarks, “it’s a top-class goal in my career.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they took him off.
“I got well angry,” the forward admits, and then he starts laughing. “There must be a video somewhere. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the second half: I hadn’t yet signed deal, I was scoring goals, many stories circulated, as you’d expect. No confirmation on Newcastle being interested, but I recall seeing about the Red Devils, the typical thing. I have no idea the validity, but supposing an offer came, my desire was to remain at Athletic. It’s a privilege.”
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At the facility, the city, the day’s first practice is about to start; following that, the quick travel to the airport and a further journey to England, this time to play Newcastle in the Champions League on Wednesday. Mentioning that phrase brings a smile to his face. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for the team, partially owing to the demands of being here. Defeated late on in the weekend clash, they have managed just one win of their past eight league games and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side in the continental stage. Yet, consider the broader view, the major occasions he’s experienced and future challenges, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation within him.
In the the period since he had come back to Athletic, Guruzeta has been a final four contender in Europe, prevented from reaching a domestic final by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge through the waterway flanked by a million fans after lifting the trophy, the first title in 40 years. Currently he stands as Athletic’s top scorer in the UCL, where they are unique and returning after absence in ten years. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
He considered it hard enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. The son of the one-time rival player Xabi Guruzeta and a season ticket holder at the club that are now his rivals, Guruzeta is a product of Antiguoko, the local academy that developed the coach, the legendary midfielder and Andoni Iraola. He joined Athletic at 17 but after making his senior debut in the 2018 season, he suffered a torn cruciate, the cut, a drop in category and a recall before he could earn his place, making his comeback to experience the peak of the club’s history.
“Joining the setup thinking you won’t reach the top level but with every stage you go through you’re remaining and you can see it getting closer. You make it and … you’re sent away.” He featured briefly in six matches in a handful of matches between his first game and February 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches with them and I suffered the ACL injury.
“It was a huge blow but I look back on it as something positive because it made me change the way I saw things. Healing from a serious ailment is challenging, but it helps. You adopt practices you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I did the sessions and then return home, typical youth behavior. At Lezama, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Get in the gym. Should your hips be uneven, work on that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, make it a 12 or a 14. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.
“Among professionals you’re going to face physical challenges who have crashed into players repeatedly. Extremely powerful. Seeing previous pictures: my physique was slight. Injuries are inevitable. Current photos and it’s totally different. Injury made me see that. Training finishes, but additional work remains. Peers are prepared, really ready; the same applies.”
You also have to play. Guruzeta departed upset in 2020, in his early twenties, dropping into the second division. During his Sabadell spell in that season, he scored three times in numerous matches. At 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, work, believe, and should the time come they need someone where you play, they might come back for you. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, it was a dream come true. Lifting the cup, play in Europe, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
Little surprise he states this is to be enjoyed. All the more so after the previous season which, on occasions, was focused on persistence. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
