‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s path from rehabilitation to goals with Athletic
Whenhe debut appearance the Athletic striker featured in the UK, an teenage playing for the reserve team against German opponents at Wycombe’s stadium in fall 2015, he hit the target. The second time he played in England, against the Black Cats weeks after, he netted. His third outing, against Manchester City six weeks after that, well, he repeated the feat. Upon his comeback to the northwest to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he found the back of the net. It was a superb volley, as well. “Truly,” he says, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did their duty: they substituted him.
“I was furious,” the attacker reveals, before breaking into laughter. “There must be a video somewhere. We traveled to face United and I was in fine form. I wasn’t allowed to feature the latter period: I hadn’t yet signed agreement, I kept finding the net, many stories circulated, as you’d expect. No confirmation on the Magpies’ pursuit, but I came across reports about Man United, standard transfer gossip. It’s unclear if it was accurate, but had they contacted me, I’d have chosen 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 Lezama, the Basque Country, the early training is set to begin; post-session, the short journey to the airport and a further journey to England, this time to face Newcastle in the UCL on midweek. Uttering the name brings a smile to his face. This is proving a difficult season for the club, due in part to the pressures of competing at this level. Losing in stoppage time in the derby on Saturday, they have won only one of their past eight league games and fallen to the Gunners and Borussia Dortmund in European competition. But, look at the overall situation, the memorable evenings and future challenges, and he feels a calm gratitude about him.
In the the period since he had come back to Athletic, Guruzeta has been a final four contender in Europe, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river accompanied by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the first title in 40 years. He’s now the top goal-getter in the Champions League, where they are distinctive and making their first appearance in ten years. “I couldn’t have pictured this,” he admits.
Guruzeta thought it challenging enough just to earn a spot and his assessment was correct. As the child of the former Real Sociedad player the former professional and a season ticket holder at the team he now opposes, Guruzeta is a product of Antiguoko, the Donostiarra team that developed the Arsenal manager, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at his teens but after his first-team bow in August 2018, he experienced a ACL injury, dropped, a drop in category and a return before he could truly get a chance, returning at 26 to enjoy the highlights of the club’s history.
“You go into the academy doubting you’ll make the senior squad but with every stage you progress through you’re still there and you can see it getting closer. You arrive and then … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in six games between his bow and February 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. A few matches with them and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A massive setback but In retrospect as a turning point because it forced me to alter the perspective. The rehabilitation process is challenging, but it helps. You adopt practices previously lacking. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I attended practice and then head home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. Should your hips be uneven, correct it. With decent ankle function, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: execute them.
“In the first team you’re going to crash into players who have crashed into players 200,000 times. Highly robust. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. Injuries are inevitable. Current photos and it’s totally different. Injury made me see 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 that year, aged 23, dropping into the second division. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he netted three goals in 40 games. At Amorebieta in the following period, the scoring picked up. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. With a turnaround, effort, faith, and when eventually a vacancy arises for your role, they might come back for you. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, a fantasy realized. The trophy success, play in Europe, and qualify for Europe’s top tier … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks appreciate the experience. Particularly after the prior campaign which, on occasions, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with a high tally, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
