The debut appearance the Athletic striker featured in the UK, an 18-year-old appearing for the youth squad against German opponents at the English ground in fall 2015, he found the net. During his subsequent match he took the field in British turf, against the Black Cats two months later, he scored. His third outing, against Pep Guardiola’s team six weeks after that, indeed, he did it once more. When he returned to the city to take on Manchester United at the sports complex in that year, he scored again. A spectacular strike, also. “In fact,” he says, “it ranks among my finest I’ve ever scored.” So Athletic did what was necessary: they substituted him.
“I was furious,” the attacker reveals, then chuckling. “I’m sure there’s footage. We went to play United and I was pretty good. They kept me out of the second half: my contract wasn’t finalized my contract, I was scoring goals, speculation was rife, you know how it is. No confirmation on interest from Newcastle, but I remember reading about the Red Devils, the typical thing. It’s unclear how true it was, but had they contacted me, I would have wanted to stay at Bilbao. I’m fortunate to be here.”
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At the training ground, the Basque Country, the day’s first practice is set to begin; following that, the short journey to Loiu airport and a further journey to England, now to play Newcastle in the European elite competition on Wednesday. Mentioning that phrase makes Guruzeta smile. It has become a difficult season for the team, partly because of the pressures of competing at this level. Defeated late on in the weekend clash, they have secured just a single victory of their recent league fixtures and lost against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in European competition. Yet, take in the big picture, the major occasions he’s experienced and future challenges, and he feels a calm gratitude within him.
In the the period since he had come back to Athletic, Guruzeta has been a semi-final participant, denied at the last hurdle a domestic final by Manchester United, and has ridden an historic vessel along the Nervión river surrounded by a huge crowd after securing the Spanish cup, the first title in 40 years. Now he is Athletic’s top scorer in the European competition, where they are distinctive and returning after absence in a decade. “I never imagined this,” he says.
He considered it hard enough just to break into the senior squad and his assessment was correct. The son of the ex-La Real star Xabi Guruzeta and a dedicated fan at the opposition side, the forward is a product of Antiguoko, the San Sebastián club that developed Mikel Arteta, the legendary midfielder and the Bournemouth manager. He joined Athletic at 17 but after his first-team bow in that summer, he suffered a ACL injury, dropped, a drop in category and a return before he could earn his place, making his comeback to experience the peak of their lives.
“Joining the setup thinking you won’t reach the first team but each step you go through you’re still there and you can notice the proximity. You get there but … you have to leave.” He had limited game time in a handful of matches between his first game and February 2019. “Subsequently I returned to the filial [Bilbao Athletic, the Under-23s]. Several appearances at that level and my knee gave way.
“A severe disappointment but I reflect on it as something positive because it forced me to alter the outlook. Healing from a serious ailment 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 head home, as a youngster does. At the complex, facilities are comprehensive, so utilize it all. Training, prehab. Strength training. With hip imbalance, address that. With decent ankle function, enhance it further. All those ‘silly things’: perform them.
“In the first team you’re going to crash into players who have experienced contact 200,000 times. They’re so strong. Seeing previous pictures: I had slender legs. Thus incidents occur. Current photos and the improvement is clear. The setback taught me. Practice concludes, but further effort is needed. Peers are prepared, really ready; no exceptions.”
Game time is essential. He left emotionally in the pandemic season, aged 23, joining the second tier. During his Sabadell spell in 2020-21, he netted three goals in 40 games. During his Amorebieta stint in the following period, the goals started to flow. “Many experience this: loans, terminated contracts. With a turnaround, effort, faith, and should the time come a vacancy arises in your position, a return could happen. You have to be ready. When the opportunity came, a fantasy realized. Lifting the cup, play in Europe, and reach the Champions League … pfff.”
Little surprise he states savor the moment. Especially after last year which, sometimes, was about endurance. From top scorer with 16 in 2023-24, his output dropped to seven in {15 games more|additional matches|
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