‘Every minor detail – execute them’: Guruzeta’s path from injury table to success with the Basque club
Whenhe debut appearance the Athletic striker featured in the UK, an young appearing for the youth squad against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at Adams Park in September 2015, he scored. On his next visit he appeared in British turf, against the Black Cats two months later, he converted. Another occasion, against Pep Guardiola’s team six weeks after that, sure enough, he repeated the feat. As he revisited to the northwest to play against the Red Devils at Leigh Sports Village in the 2017 season, he found the back of the net. It was a superb volley, too. “In fact,” he states, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve ever scored.” Thus the club did their duty: they took him off.
“I was furious,” the Athletic striker reveals, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. We traveled to face United and I was pretty good. They didn’t let me play the latter period: I hadn’t yet signed my contract, I was scoring goals, there were lots of rumours, as you’d expect. No confirmation on interest from Newcastle, but I remember reading about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea how true it was, but supposing an offer came, I would have wanted to stay at the club. It’s a privilege.”
La Real relieve strain with extraordinary derby triumph
At the facility, the city, the early training is set to begin; after it, the short journey to the airport and another flight to England, now to play Newcastle in the European elite competition on Wednesday. Mentioning that phrase makes Guruzeta smile. It has become a difficult season for Athletic, partially owing to the pressures of being here. Losing in stoppage time in the derby on Saturday, they have won only one of their last eight matches and been defeated by Arsenal and Dortmund in European competition. However, take in the big picture, the major occasions he’s experienced and future challenges, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation about him.
In the the period since he had rejoined the team, Guruzeta has been a final four contender in Europe, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by United, and has traveled on a traditional boat along the Nervión river accompanied by countless supporters after securing the Spanish cup, the club’s first trophy in 40 years. Currently he stands as the top goal-getter in the European competition, where they are unique and debuting in a decade. “This was beyond my dreams,” he admits.
The player believed it challenging enough just to earn a spot and his assessment was correct. As the child of the one-time rival player Xabi Guruzeta and a dedicated fan at the team he now opposes, the forward is a product of Antiguoko, the local academy that nurtured Mikel Arteta, the former star and Andoni Iraola. He joined Athletic at seventeen but after his top-level debut in the 2018 season, he suffered a serious knee problem, the cut, a demotion and a return before he could earn his place, returning at 26 to live the best days of the club’s history.
“You go into the academy doubting you’ll make the first team but with every stage you advance through you’re still there and you can see it getting closer. You get there but … departure is necessary.” He had limited game time in a handful of matches between his debut and February 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games there and my knee gave way.
“A massive setback but I look back on it as a turning point because it made me change the outlook. Recovering from a long-term injury is difficult, but it aids growth. You develop habits you didn’t have. It’s not about neglect, but I would go to training and then go home, as a youngster does. In the facility, you have everything, so take full advantage. Training, prehab. Hit the weights. If your hips aren’t balanced, address that. With decent ankle function, improve it more. All the minor details: perform them.
“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have crashed into players countless occasions. Highly robust. I look at photos of me before: I had slender legs. So what happens, happens. Look at pictures of me now and the improvement is clear. Recovery revealed that. Sessions end, but additional work remains. Peers are prepared, really ready; you have to be too.”
Game time is essential. Guruzeta departed emotionally in 2020, in his early twenties, moving to a lower level. At Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he scored three times in 40 games. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the goals started to flow. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. With a turnaround, work, believe, and when eventually a vacancy arises 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, compete continentally, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks this is to be enjoyed. All the more so after the previous season which, sometimes, was about endurance. From top scorer with 16 in 2023-24, he managed seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
