The initial occasion the Athletic striker competed in English soil, an teenage playing for the reserve team against German opponents at Adams Park in September 2015, he scored. The second time he took the field in England, against the Black Cats two months later, he converted. The third time, against the Citizens not long later, well, he did it once more. When he returned to the city to face United at the sports complex in 2017, he scored again. An excellent finish, too. “Actually,” he remarks, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve netted.” So Athletic did what they had to do: he was replaced.
“I got well angry,” 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 second half: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, I kept finding the net, there were lots of rumours, it’s typical. I don’t know about the Magpies’ pursuit, but I came across reports about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. I’m not certain the validity, but had they contacted me, I would have wanted to stay at the club. I feel lucky to be here.”
Real Sociedad release pressure with surreal victory in Basque derby like no other
At the training ground, the city, the early training is set to begin; post-session, the quick travel to Loiu and another trip to England, on this occasion to play Newcastle in the UCL on Wednesday. Uttering the name brings a smile to his face. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for Athletic, partially owing to the pressures of competing at this level. Defeated late on in the weekend clash, they have secured just a single victory of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and the German side in European competition. But, consider the broader view, the memorable evenings and upcoming events, and a sense of thankful reflection about him.
In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, Guruzeta has been a Europa League semi-finalist, stopped at the gates a final at home by the English giants, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary surrounded by countless supporters after lifting the trophy, the team’s initial silverware in four decades. He’s now the club’s leading marksman in the Champions League, where they are distinctive and debuting in a decade. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
Guruzeta thought it challenging enough just to break into the senior squad and he was right. As the child of the former Real Sociedad player the former professional and a dedicated fan at the opposition side, Gorka is a product of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that produced the Arsenal manager, the former star and Andoni Iraola. He joined Athletic at seventeen but after making his senior debut in August 2018, he went through a serious knee problem, dropped, a relegation and a return before he could finally secure an opportunity, returning at 26 to enjoy the highlights of their lives.
“Joining the setup doubting you’ll make the senior squad but every phase you advance through you’re persisting and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in six games between his debut and early 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches at that level and I suffered the ACL injury.
“It was a huge blow but I look back on it as a turning point because it made me change the perspective. Recovering from a long-term injury is challenging, but it helps. You develop habits you didn’t have. Previously I was casual, but I did the sessions and then return home, like when you’re a kid. In the facility, facilities are comprehensive, so do everything. Practice, prevention. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, work on that. With decent ankle function, make it a 12 or a 14. All the minor details: perform them.
“Among professionals you’re going to crash into players who have experienced contact repeatedly. Extremely powerful. I look at photos of me before: my physique was slight. Injuries are inevitable. Look at pictures of me now and the change is dramatic. Recovery revealed that. Training finishes, but there’s more to do. Teammates are set, really ready; you have to be too.”
You also have to play. He left in tears in that year, in his early twenties, dropping into the second division. During his Sabadell spell in 2020-21, he got three strikes in forty appearances. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the scoring picked up. “It’s a common path: transfers, releases. If you turn it round, effort, faith, and should the time come a vacancy arises for your role, they might come back for you. Readiness is vital. When the opportunity came, a fantasy realized. The trophy success, compete continentally, and make the UCL … pfff.”
No wonder he says this is to be enjoyed. Especially after the prior campaign which, on occasions, was involved suffering. From top scorer with a high tally, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
