‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: Guruzeta’s journey from injury table to scoring with the Basque club
The first time the Athletic striker played in the UK, an 18-year-old appearing for the reserve team against German opponents at Wycombe’s stadium in the 2015 season, he found the net. The second time he appeared in England, against Sunderland two months later, he scored. Another occasion, against Pep Guardiola’s team six weeks after that, sure enough, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to Manchester to take on Manchester United at Leigh’s ground in 2017, he found the back of the net. An excellent finish, as well. “Actually,” he says, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve netted.” Thus the club did what they had to do: they substituted him.
“I got well angry,” the Athletic striker says, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I performed well. I wasn’t allowed to feature the second half: I hadn’t yet signed deal, goals were flowing, speculation was rife, it’s typical. I don’t know about interest from Newcastle, but I remember reading about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. I’m not certain the validity, but supposing an offer came, my desire was to remain at Athletic. It’s a privilege.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At Lezama, Bilbao, the morning session is about to start; post-session, the quick travel to the airport and another trip to Britain, this time to take on the Magpies in the Champions League on Wednesday. Mentioning that phrase lights him up. This is proving a tough year for the club, due in part to the requirements of competing at this level. Defeated late on in the derby on Saturday, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and lost against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in European competition. But, take in the big picture, the big nights he has lived and upcoming events, and a sense of thankful reflection within him.
In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, the striker has been a Europa League semi-finalist, prevented from reaching a domestic final by Manchester United, and has ridden an historic vessel up the Nervión estuary accompanied by countless supporters after winning the Copa del Rey, the first title in 40 years. Now he is Athletic’s top scorer in the European competition, where they are distinctive and making their first appearance in ten years. “I never imagined this,” he says.
Guruzeta thought it hard enough just to earn a spot and that proved true. The son of the one-time rival player Xabi Guruzeta and a regular attendee at the club that are now his rivals, Guruzeta is a product of Antiguoko, the local academy that nurtured Mikel Arteta, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at seventeen but after his top-level debut in that summer, he went through a torn cruciate, being released, a demotion and a recall before he could earn his place, returning at 26 to enjoy the highlights of his career.
“You go into the academy not expecting to reach the top level but every phase you advance through you’re remaining and you can notice the proximity. You arrive and then … departure is necessary.” He had limited game time in half a dozen appearances between his debut and early 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games at that level and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A massive setback but In retrospect as something positive because it forced me to alter the way I saw things. The rehabilitation process is difficult, but it aids growth. You adopt practices you didn’t have. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I would go to training and then return home, typical youth behavior. In the facility, all resources are available, so utilize it all. Practice, prevention. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, correct it. With decent ankle function, make it a 12 or a 14. All the minor details: execute them.
“In the first team you’re going to crash into players who have crashed into players repeatedly. Highly robust. Reviewing old images: I had slender legs. Thus incidents occur. Present-day images and the improvement is clear. The setback taught me. Sessions end, but further effort is needed. Peers are prepared, really ready; the same applies.”
You also have to play. The striker moved upset in that year, aged 23, moving to a lower level. During his Sabadell spell in the 20-21 campaign, he scored three times in forty appearances. With Amorebieta in the following period, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: transfers, releases. If you turn it round, work, believe, and if one day the requirement appears for your role, they might come back for you. Preparation is key. Upon the recall, a fantasy realized. To then win the Copa del Rey, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks savor the moment. Especially after the previous season which, at times, was involved suffering. After being leading scorer with 16 in 2023-24, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
