‘All those little things – make sure you do them’: The striker’s journey from injury table to goals with the Basque club
Whenhe debut appearance the Athletic striker featured in England, an young playing for the youth squad against German opponents at the English ground in fall 2015, he found the net. During his subsequent match he played in British turf, against Sunderland following that, he converted. The third time, against Manchester City soon after, indeed, he did it once more. When he returned to the city to take on Manchester United at Leigh Sports Village in 2017, he scored again. An excellent finish, too. “In fact,” he states, “it’s one of the best goals I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did what they had to do: they took him off.
“I was furious,” the Athletic striker reveals, before breaking into laughter. “I’m sure there’s footage. Our match against United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the final 45 minutes: I was without a signed deal, I was scoring goals, there were lots of rumours, it’s typical. I don’t know about the Magpies’ pursuit, but I recall seeing about Manchester United, standard transfer gossip. It’s unclear how true it was, but supposing an offer came, I would have wanted to stay at Athletic. I feel lucky to be here.”
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At the facility, the city, the morning session is set to begin; after it, the brief trip to Loiu airport and another trip to Britain, this time to play Newcastle in the European elite competition on midweek. Mentioning that phrase makes Guruzeta smile. It’s turning out to be a challenging campaign for the club, partially owing to the pressures of being here. Losing in stoppage time in the local rivalry, they have secured just a single victory of their past eight league games and been defeated by Arsenal and Dortmund in European competition. Yet, take in the big picture, the memorable evenings and future challenges, and a sense of thankful reflection from him.
In the 36 months since he had returned to the club, Gorka has been a Europa League semi-finalist, stopped at the gates the showpiece event by Manchester United, and has ridden an historic vessel through the waterway flanked by countless supporters after lifting the trophy, the club’s first trophy in four decades. Now he is the club’s leading marksman in the European competition, where they are countercultural and returning after absence in ten years. “I never imagined this,” he says.
He considered it hard enough just to break into the senior squad and that proved true. As the child of the ex-La Real star his father and a season ticket holder at the opposition side, Gorka is from the Antiguoko academy, the local academy that nurtured the coach, the former star and the tactician. His move to Athletic came at his teens but after his first-team bow in the 2018 season, he went through a serious knee problem, being released, a drop in category and a call back before he could earn his place, coming back aged 26 to experience the peak of the club’s history.
“Entering the youth system thinking you won’t reach the senior squad but each step you go through you’re remaining and you can see it getting closer. You get there but … you’re sent away.” He played six, nine, five, one, four and 20 minutes in a handful of matches between his debut and February 2019. “And then I go back down to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Five, six games there and I suffered the ACL injury.
“A massive setback but I look back on it as something positive because it shifted the perspective. Healing from a serious ailment is difficult, but it’s beneficial. You adopt practices you didn’t have. Previously I was casual, but I did the sessions and then return home, as a youngster does. In the facility, you have everything, so do everything. Training, prehab. Get in the gym. If your hips aren’t balanced, work on that. With decent ankle function, improve it more. Every small aspect: do them.
“At the top level you’re going to crash into players who have crashed into players countless occasions. Extremely powerful. Reviewing old images: I had slender legs. Injuries are inevitable. Present-day images and the change is dramatic. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but there’s more to do. Peers are prepared, really ready; you have to be too.”
Game time is essential. The striker moved upset in the pandemic season, aged 23, joining the second tier. With Sabadell in 2020-21, he got three strikes in 40 games. During his Amorebieta stint in the second half of 2021-22, the he found his form. “Players go through it: temporary moves, ended deals. If you turn it round, dedication, confidence, and when eventually the requirement appears for your role, they might come back for you. Readiness is vital. Upon the recall, it was a dream come true. Lifting the cup, European football, and make the UCL … pfff.”
Understandably he remarks this is to be enjoyed. Especially after last year which, on occasions, was focused on persistence. From top scorer with sixteen goals, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
