‘Every minor detail – execute them’: Guruzeta’s journey from gurney to scoring with the Basque club

Whenhe debut appearance the Athletic striker competed in English soil, an 18-year-old playing for Athletic Bilbao B against Bundesliga youth at Wycombe’s stadium in the 2015 season, he hit the target. The second time he played in England, against Sunderland two months later, he converted. His third outing, against Pep Guardiola’s team soon after, indeed, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to the northwest to take on Manchester United at Leigh’s ground in 2017, he found the back of the net. A spectacular strike, too. “Actually,” he says, “it ranks among my finest I’ve netted.” Therefore the team did their duty: they substituted him.

“I became very upset,” the Athletic striker says, then chuckling. “There must be a video somewhere. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the latter period: I hadn’t yet signed deal, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, it’s typical. I’m unsure regarding Newcastle being interested, but I recall seeing about Manchester United, the usual talk. I have no idea how true it was, but supposing an offer came, my desire was to remain at Athletic. I’m fortunate to be here.”

La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph

At the training ground, the city, the day’s first practice is ready to commence; post-session, the brief trip to Loiu and another flight to England, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the Champions League on Wednesday. Uttering the name lights him up. It has become a challenging campaign for the club, partially owing to the demands of being here. Beaten in added time in the local rivalry, they have managed just one win of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and Borussia Dortmund in Europe. However, consider the broader view, the major occasions he’s experienced and those that lie ahead, and he feels a calm gratitude about him.

In the the period since he had rejoined the team, the striker has been a semi-final participant, prevented from reaching the showpiece event by United, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary accompanied by a million fans after securing the Spanish cup, the first title in 40 years. Currently he stands as the top goal-getter in the UCL, where they are countercultural and debuting in a decade. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he says.

He considered it hard enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. As the child of the one-time rival player the former professional and a dedicated fan at the team he now opposes, Gorka is from the Antiguoko academy, the Donostiarra team that produced Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and the Bournemouth manager. He joined Athletic at seventeen but after his first-team bow in that summer, he went through a torn cruciate, dropped, a drop in category and a call back before he could finally secure an opportunity, coming back aged 26 to experience the peak of his career.

“Joining the setup not expecting to reach the top level but each step you progress through you’re still there and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … you’re sent away.” He had limited game time in half a dozen appearances between his bow and that period. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches with them and I tear my cruciate.

“It was a huge blow but In retrospect as a beneficial experience because it forced me to alter the perspective. Healing from a serious ailment is hard, but it helps. You adopt practices new to you. Previously I was casual, but I attended practice and then return home, as a youngster does. At the complex, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Work, precaution. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, correct it. If your ankles are a 10, enhance it further. All the minor details: execute them.

“At the top level you’re going to face physical challenges who have experienced contact repeatedly. Highly robust. Reviewing old images: my legs are chicken legs. Thus incidents occur. Current photos and it’s totally different. Injury made me see that. Training finishes, but additional work remains. Everyone else is ready, really ready; no exceptions.”

You also have to play. The striker moved emotionally in 2020, aged 23, moving to a lower level. During his Sabadell spell in that season, he netted three goals in forty appearances. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the goals started to flow. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. If you turn it round, dedication, confidence, and if one day they need someone for your role, a return could happen. Readiness is vital. When the opportunity came, it was a dream come true. To then win the Copa del Rey, compete continentally, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”

No wonder he says this is to be enjoyed. All the more so after the prior campaign which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. From top scorer with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|