‘Every minor detail – execute them’: The striker’s journey from injury table to goals with the Basque club

Whenhe debut appearance the Spanish forward competed in the UK, an young playing for the youth squad against Bundesliga youth at the English ground in fall 2015, he hit the target. During his subsequent match he played in British turf, against Sunderland following that, he converted. The third time, against Pep Guardiola’s team six weeks after that, sure enough, he did it once more. As he revisited to the northwest to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he found the back of the net. It was a superb volley, also. “Truly,” he remarks, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve netted.” So Athletic did what they had to do: they substituted him.

“I got well angry,” the attacker reveals, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I was in fine form. They didn’t let me play the second half: I hadn’t yet signed my contract, goals were flowing, speculation was rife, it’s typical. I don’t know about interest from Newcastle, but I came across reports about Manchester United, the typical thing. I’m not certain if it was accurate, but supposing an offer came, I’d have chosen to stay at Bilbao. It’s a privilege.”

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At the facility, the city, the day’s first practice is set to begin; following that, the short journey to the airport and another flight to Britain, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the Champions League on midweek. Just saying those two words makes Guruzeta smile. It has become a challenging campaign for Athletic, partly because of the demands of competing at this level. Defeated late on in the weekend clash, they have secured just a single victory of their recent league fixtures and lost against Arsenal and Dortmund in the continental stage. But, consider the broader view, the major occasions he’s experienced and upcoming events, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation about him.

In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, the striker has been a final four contender in Europe, prevented from reaching the showpiece event by the English giants, and has ridden an historic vessel along the Nervión river surrounded by a million fans after winning the Copa del Rey, the club’s first trophy in a long wait. He’s now Athletic’s top scorer in the European competition, where they are distinctive and returning after absence in a decade. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he admits.

Guruzeta thought it hard enough just to earn a spot and he was right. The son of the ex-La Real star the former professional and a season ticket holder at the team he now opposes, Guruzeta is a graduate of Antiguoko, the local academy that produced the Arsenal manager, the legendary midfielder and the tactician. His move to Athletic came at seventeen but after his top-level debut in the 2018 season, he suffered a torn cruciate, the cut, a demotion and a recall before he could earn his place, making his comeback to live the best days of his career.

“You go into the academy thinking you won’t reach the top level but with every stage you progress through you’re persisting and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He had limited game time in six games between his first game and early 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances there and I suffered the ACL injury.

“A massive setback but I look back on it as a turning point because it shifted the perspective. The rehabilitation process is difficult, but it helps. You develop habits previously lacking. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then go home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. Should your hips be uneven, work on that. If your ankles are a 10, make it a 12 or a 14. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.

“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have crashed into players 200,000 times. Extremely powerful. Seeing previous pictures: my physique was slight. Thus incidents occur. Present-day images and the improvement is clear. Recovery revealed that. Sessions end, but there’s more to do. Peers are prepared, really ready; you have to be too.”

You also have to play. He left in tears in that year, aged 23, joining the second tier. At Sabadell in 2020-21, he got three strikes in forty appearances. With Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the goals started to flow. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. Should you reverse it, work, believe, and if one day a vacancy arises for your role, recall is possible. Readiness is vital. Upon the recall, it was a dream come true. The trophy success, compete continentally, and make the UCL … pfff.”

No wonder he says savor the moment. All the more so after the prior campaign which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. Previously the main threat with 16 in 2023-24, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|