‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s road from gurney to success with the Basque club
The initial occasion Gorka Guruzeta competed in English soil, an teenage playing for the reserve team against German opponents at Adams Park in fall 2015, he scored. During his subsequent match he took the field in the country, against Sunderland two months later, he converted. The third time, against Manchester City not long later, well, he did it once more. When he returned to the city to play against the Red Devils at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he did it once more. An excellent finish, also. “In fact,” he says, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did what was necessary: they substituted him.
“I got well angry,” the forward admits, and then he starts laughing. “Probably there’s a recording. We traveled to face United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the second half: I was without a signed deal, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, it’s typical. I’m unsure regarding Newcastle being interested, but I came across reports about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea if it was accurate, but had they contacted me, my desire was to remain at Bilbao. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At the facility, the Basque Country, the morning session is ready to commence; post-session, the short journey to the airport and a further journey to the UK, this time to face Newcastle in the Champions League on the upcoming match. Mentioning that phrase makes Guruzeta smile. It has become a tough year for the club, partly because of the demands of being here. Beaten in added time in the derby on Saturday, they have won only one of their last eight matches and been defeated by Arsenal and Dortmund in the continental stage. However, look at the overall situation, the memorable evenings and those that lie ahead, and a sense of thankful reflection from him.
In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, Gorka has been a semi-final participant, stopped at the gates the showpiece event by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary accompanied by countless supporters after securing the Spanish cup, the team’s initial silverware in a long wait. Now he is the club’s leading marksman in the UCL, where they are distinctive and making their first appearance in ten years. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
The player believed it hard enough just to make the first team and that proved true. As the child of the former Real Sociedad player the former professional and a season ticket holder at the club that are now his rivals, Guruzeta is from the Antiguoko academy, the Donostiarra team that produced Mikel Arteta, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at his teens but after making his senior debut in August 2018, he experienced a torn cruciate, the cut, a relegation and a recall before he could truly get a chance, coming back aged 26 to experience the peak of his career.
“Joining the setup thinking you won’t reach the top level but with every stage you progress through you’re still there and you can notice the proximity. You make it and … you’re sent away.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in a handful of matches between his first game and that period. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games there and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A severe disappointment but In retrospect as something positive because it made me change the outlook. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it aids growth. You develop habits you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I would go to training and then return home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, facilities are comprehensive, so take full advantage. Practice, prevention. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, work on that. With decent ankle function, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.
“Among professionals you’re going to face physical challenges who have been in battles countless occasions. They’re so strong. Seeing previous pictures: my physique was slight. So what happens, happens. Present-day images and the improvement is clear. Injury made me see that. Training finishes, but there’s more to do. Peers are prepared, really ready; no exceptions.”
Game time is essential. Guruzeta departed emotionally in the pandemic season, aged 23, joining the second tier. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he scored three times in numerous matches. At Amorebieta in the second half of 2021-22, the he found his form. “Many experience this: temporary moves, ended deals. If you turn it round, work, believe, and should the time come a vacancy arises 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, European football, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks this is to be enjoyed. Especially after last year which, on occasions, was focused on persistence. Previously the main threat with sixteen goals, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
