‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s road from gurney to success with the Basque club

Whenhe initial occasion the Spanish forward competed in English soil, an young appearing for Athletic Bilbao B against Bundesliga youth at the English ground in September 2015, he scored. The second time he took the field in the country, against the Black Cats following that, he scored. The third time, against the Citizens soon after, well, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to Manchester to play against the Red Devils at Leigh’s ground in 2017, he scored again. An excellent finish, also. “In fact,” he remarks, “it’s a top-class goal in my career.” So Athletic did what was necessary: they substituted him.

“I became very upset,” the Athletic striker says, and then he starts laughing. “I’m sure there’s footage. We went to play United and I was in fine form. They kept me out of the latter period: I was without a signed agreement, I kept finding the net, speculation was rife, it’s typical. I’m unsure regarding interest from Newcastle, but I remember reading about Manchester United, the usual talk. It’s unclear if it was accurate, but even if they had called, I’d have chosen to stay at Bilbao. I feel lucky to be here.”

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At Lezama, Bilbao, the day’s first practice is set to begin; following that, the brief trip to Loiu and a further journey to Britain, on this occasion to play Newcastle in the European elite competition on the upcoming match. Just saying those two words brings a smile to his face. It has become a challenging campaign for Athletic, partly because of the pressures of being here. Defeated late on in the local rivalry, they have won only one of their past eight league games and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side 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 within him.

In the the period since he had come back to Athletic, Guruzeta has been a Europa League semi-finalist, denied at the last hurdle a final at home by United, and has traveled on a traditional boat along the Nervión river accompanied by a million fans after winning the Copa del Rey, the first title in 40 years. He’s now the top goal-getter in the European competition, where they are countercultural and making their first appearance in ten years. “I never imagined this,” he says.

He considered it challenging enough just to break into the senior squad and his assessment was correct. As the child of the ex-La Real star Xabi Guruzeta and a dedicated fan at the team he now opposes, Guruzeta is a graduate of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that nurtured the coach, Xabi Alonso and the tactician. He joined Athletic at seventeen but after making his senior debut in the 2018 season, he suffered a ACL injury, the cut, a demotion and a call back before he could earn his place, returning at 26 to experience the peak of his career.

“You go into the academy doubting you’ll make 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 had limited game time in half a dozen appearances between his debut and February 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games with them and my knee gave way.

“It was a huge blow but In retrospect as something positive because it forced me to alter the way I saw things. Healing from a serious ailment is difficult, but it aids growth. 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 do everything. Work, precaution. Strength training. Should your hips be uneven, address that. With decent ankle function, make it a 12 or a 14. All those ‘silly things’: do them.

“At the top level you’re going to crash into players who have experienced contact 200,000 times. Highly robust. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. Injuries are inevitable. Look at pictures of me now and the improvement is clear. Injury made me see that. Sessions end, but there’s more to do. Everyone else is ready, really ready; you have to be too.”

Minutes are crucial. Guruzeta departed emotionally in the pandemic season, in his early twenties, dropping into the second division. With Sabadell in 2020-21, he scored three times in forty appearances. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: transfers, releases. With a turnaround, work, believe, and if one day they need someone in your position, recall is possible. Readiness is vital. When they decided to call again, an aspiration fulfilled. Lifting the cup, European football, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”

Understandably he remarks savor the moment. All the more so after the previous season which, on occasions, was involved suffering. After being leading scorer with sixteen goals, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|