‘Every minor detail – execute them’: The striker’s path from rehabilitation to scoring with Athletic

Thehe debut appearance the Spanish forward featured in the UK, an 18-year-old playing for the youth squad against Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-23s at the English ground in the 2015 season, he scored. On his next visit he appeared in the country, against Sunderland two months later, he netted. The third time, against Manchester City not long later, indeed, he did it once more. As he revisited to Manchester to take on Manchester United at Leigh’s ground in that year, he did it once more. An excellent finish, as well. “Truly,” he states, “it’s a top-class goal I’ve ever scored.” Therefore the team did what was necessary: he was replaced.

“I got well angry,” the Athletic striker reveals, before breaking into laughter. “I’m sure there’s footage. We went to play United and I was pretty good. They didn’t let me play the latter period: I was without a signed agreement, I was scoring goals, there were lots of rumours, as you’d expect. I’m unsure regarding Newcastle being interested, but I remember reading about the Red Devils, the typical thing. It’s unclear if it was accurate, but had they contacted me, I would have wanted to stay at the club. I’m fortunate to be here.”

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At Lezama, the city, the early training is ready to commence; after it, the quick travel to Loiu airport and a further journey to Britain, on this occasion to face Newcastle in the Champions League on Wednesday. Uttering the name brings a smile to his face. This is proving a tough year for the club, partly because of the pressures of their participation. Defeated late on in the weekend clash, they have secured just a single victory of their last eight matches and lost against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in European competition. However, consider the broader view, the big nights he has lived and those that lie ahead, and there’s a kind of quiet appreciation within him.

In the three years since he had rejoined the team, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, prevented from reaching a final at home by Manchester United, and has boarded a decades-old barge up the Nervión estuary flanked by a huge crowd after lifting the trophy, the team’s initial silverware in a long wait. Now he is Athletic’s top scorer in the European competition, where they are countercultural and debuting in ten years. “This was beyond my dreams,” he states.

He considered it hard enough just to break into the senior squad and his assessment was correct. Born to the one-time rival player Xabi Guruzeta and a season ticket holder at the club that are now his rivals, the forward is from the Antiguoko academy, the San Sebastián club that nurtured the coach, Xabi Alonso and the Bournemouth manager. He joined Athletic at 17 but after making his senior debut in that summer, he experienced a serious knee problem, the cut, a demotion and a call back before he could truly get a chance, returning at 26 to live the best days of their lives.

“You go into the academy thinking you won’t reach the senior squad but with every stage you go through you’re still there and you can see it getting closer. You arrive and then … you’re sent away.” 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]. Several appearances at that level and I suffered the ACL injury.

“A severe disappointment but I look back on it as a turning point because it forced me to alter the outlook. Recovering from a long-term injury is hard, but it helps. You cultivate routines you didn’t have. It’s not that you don’t look after yourself, but I attended practice and then go home, as a youngster does. At Lezama, you have everything, so take full advantage. Practice, prevention. Hit the weights. If your hips aren’t balanced, address that. Assuming ankle mobility is good, make it a 12 or a 14. All those ‘silly things’: do them.

“Among professionals you’re going to face physical challenges who have crashed into players 200,000 times. Extremely powerful. Seeing previous pictures: my legs are chicken legs. Injuries are inevitable. Look at pictures of me now and the improvement is clear. Recovery revealed that. Practice concludes, but further effort is needed. Everyone else is ready, really ready; no exceptions.”

Minutes are crucial. The striker moved in tears in 2020, in his early twenties, dropping into the second division. During his Sabadell spell in the 20-21 campaign, he netted three goals in 40 games. At Amorebieta in the following period, the he found his form. “Many experience this: loans, terminated contracts. Should you reverse it, work, believe, and if one day a vacancy arises in your position, a return could happen. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, it was a dream come true. The trophy success, European football, and make the UCL … pfff.”

No wonder he says appreciate the experience. Especially after last year which, sometimes, was focused on persistence. After being leading scorer with a high tally, last season he got seven in {15 games more|additional matches|