‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s journey from rehabilitation to scoring with Athletic
Whenhe debut appearance the Athletic striker competed in the UK, an teenage appearing for Athletic Bilbao B against Bundesliga youth at Adams Park in fall 2015, he scored. The second time he played in the country, against the English side weeks after, he netted. Another occasion, against Manchester City soon after, indeed, he did it once more. Upon his comeback to the city to play against the Red Devils at the sports complex in the 2017 season, he did it once more. A spectacular strike, also. “Actually,” he remarks, “it ranks among my finest I’ve netted.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they took him off.
“I got well angry,” the Athletic striker admits, before breaking into laughter. “There must be a video somewhere. We went to play United and I was pretty good. They didn’t let me play the latter period: my contract wasn’t finalized my contract, goals were flowing, there were lots of rumours, as you’d expect. I don’t know about interest from Newcastle, but I remember reading about the Red Devils, standard transfer gossip. I have no idea the validity, but supposing an offer came, I’d have chosen to stay at Athletic. It’s a privilege.”
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At Lezama, Bilbao, the day’s first practice is about to start; after it, the quick travel to Loiu and another flight to the UK, on this occasion to face Newcastle 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 challenging campaign for the team, due in part to the requirements of competing at this level. Losing in stoppage time in the derby on Saturday, they have secured just a single victory of their past eight league games and been defeated by Arsenal and the German side in Europe. But, look at the overall situation, the big nights he has lived and those that lie ahead, and he feels a calm gratitude from him.
In the the period since he had come back to Athletic, the striker has been a semi-final participant, prevented from reaching a domestic final by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary accompanied by countless supporters after lifting the trophy, the club’s first trophy in a long wait. Now he is the top goal-getter in the European competition, where they are countercultural and making their first appearance in a decade. “I never imagined this,” he states.
Guruzeta thought it difficult enough just to earn a spot and he was right. The son of the ex-La Real star his father and a dedicated fan at the team he now opposes, the forward is a graduate of Antiguoko, the San Sebastián club that produced Mikel Arteta, the former star and Andoni Iraola. He joined Athletic at seventeen but after his top-level debut in that summer, he experienced a ACL injury, being released, a drop in category and a return before he could earn his place, coming back aged 26 to enjoy the highlights of his career.
“Joining the setup thinking you won’t reach the first team but each step you progress through you’re persisting and you can observe the approach. You arrive and then … departure is necessary.” He featured briefly in six matches in six games between his debut and February 2019. “Then I was sent to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances with them and my knee gave way.
“A massive setback but In retrospect as a beneficial experience because it forced me to alter the way I saw things. The rehabilitation process is difficult, but it aids growth. You develop habits new to you. Previously I was casual, but I attended practice and then go home, like when you’re a kid. At Lezama, you have everything, so do everything. Training, prehab. Hit the weights. With hip imbalance, address that. If your ankles are a 10, improve it more. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.
“Among professionals you’re going to collide with opponents who have been in battles 200,000 times. Highly robust. I look at photos of me before: my legs are chicken legs. Thus incidents occur. Look at pictures of me now and the improvement is clear. Injury made me see that. Practice concludes, but additional work remains. Peers are prepared, really ready; no exceptions.”
Minutes are crucial. He left in tears in that year, aged 23, joining the second tier. With Sabadell in the 20-21 campaign, he netted three goals in 40 games. At Amorebieta in the latter part of the season, the he found his form. “Players go through it: loans, terminated contracts. Should you reverse it, work, believe, and if one day a vacancy arises where you play, a return could happen. Readiness is vital. When they decided to call again, an aspiration fulfilled. The trophy success, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks savor the moment. Particularly after the prior campaign which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. From top scorer with a high tally, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
