‘All those silly things – do them’: The striker’s path from rehabilitation to success with Athletic Bilbao
Whenhe first time the Athletic striker competed in English soil, an teenage appearing for the youth squad against Bundesliga youth at the English ground in the 2015 season, he found the net. On his next visit he took the field in England, against the Black Cats following that, he scored. His third outing, against Manchester City six weeks after that, sure enough, he did it once more. When he returned to the northwest to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in 2017, he found the back of the net. A spectacular strike, as well. “In fact,” he says, “it ranks among my finest in my career.” Thus the club did their duty: they substituted him.
“I became very upset,” the forward admits, before breaking into laughter. “There must be a video somewhere. Our match against United and I was in fine form. They didn’t let me play the latter period: my contract wasn’t finalized deal, I kept finding the net, many stories circulated, it’s typical. No confirmation on interest from Newcastle, but I came across reports about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea how true it was, but even if they had called, I would have wanted to stay at the club. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At the training ground, the Basque Country, the morning session is about to start; post-session, the short journey to Loiu and another trip to the UK, on this occasion to take on the Magpies in the European elite competition on Wednesday. Just saying those two words brings a smile to his face. It’s turning out to be a tough year for the team, due in part to the demands of their participation. Defeated late on in the weekend clash, they have secured just a single victory of their recent league fixtures and been defeated by Arsenal and Dortmund in European competition. Yet, take in the big picture, the big nights he has lived and upcoming events, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation about him.
In the 36 months since he had rejoined the team, Guruzeta has been a Europa League semi-finalist, denied at the last hurdle the showpiece event by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge along the Nervión river flanked by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the first title in four decades. Now he is the top goal-getter in the Champions League, where they are distinctive and debuting in a decade. “This was beyond my dreams,” he says.
Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to earn a spot and he was right. As the child of the one-time rival player his father and a dedicated fan at the opposition side, the forward is from the Antiguoko academy, the Donostiarra team that produced the Arsenal manager, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. He signed for Athletic at 17 but after his top-level debut in that summer, he suffered a serious knee problem, being released, a relegation and a call back before he could finally secure an opportunity, coming back aged 26 to enjoy the highlights of their lives.
“Joining the setup not expecting to reach the first team but with every stage you progress through you’re persisting and you can see it getting closer. You get there but … you have to leave.” He featured briefly in six matches in six games between his bow and early 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances there and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A massive setback but I reflect on it as something positive because it shifted the way I saw things. The rehabilitation process is challenging, but it’s beneficial. You adopt practices you didn’t have. Previously I was casual, but I would go to training and then go home, like when you’re a kid. At the complex, all resources are available, so utilize it all. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. With hip imbalance, work on that. If your ankles are a 10, make it a 12 or a 14. Every small aspect: do them.
“At the top level you’re going to collide with opponents who have experienced contact countless occasions. They’re so strong. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. So what happens, happens. Present-day images and it’s totally different. Injury made me see that. Sessions end, but additional work remains. Teammates are set, really ready; the same applies.”
You also have to play. The striker moved in tears in 2020, aged 23, dropping into the second division. During his Sabadell spell in that season, he scored three times in 40 games. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the scoring picked up. “Many experience this: transfers, releases. Should you reverse it, dedication, confidence, and if one day the requirement appears where you play, recall is possible. Preparation is key. When they decided to call again, a fantasy realized. To then win the Copa del Rey, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
No wonder he says appreciate the experience. Especially after the prior campaign which, on occasions, was involved suffering. After being leading scorer with 16 in 2023-24, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
