On 1 July 2015, Gorka Elustondo Urkola swapped Real Sociedad for Athletic Club. He arrived in Bilbao on a free transfer after almost a decade in the Real first team, and that move between the two biggest clubs in Basque football shaped the second half of his career. Born on 18 March 1987 in Beasain, Gipuzkoa, he was a defensive midfielder who several coaches also used at centre-back.
Early years in Beasain and Zubieta
He went to primary and secondary school at Alkartasuna Lizeoa in his home town. On the pitch he spent the 2004-05 season at Aitzgorri before joining Real Sociedad’s academy. He made his debut for the reserve side on 27 August 2005, in a goalless draw with Valladolid B, and played 64 matches for Real Sociedad B over two seasons. In the same period he featured for Spain’s youth teams.
European champion at under-19 level
In 2006 he was part of the Spain squad that won the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Poland, making six appearances at that level. A year later he went to the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he played twice. He never made his debut for the senior national team.
Eight seasons at Real Sociedad
His top-flight debut came on 20 December 2006, in a 0-0 draw away to Celta de Vigo at Balaídos. The club were relegated at the end of that season and Elustondo established himself in the first team in the Spanish second division. In late October 2008 he suffered a serious injury; it later flared up again and he only returned for the final two rounds of the 2008-09 campaign.
The following season was his breakthrough. He made 30 appearances, 26 of them as a starter, scored once, and Real won the 2009-10 Segunda División title to return to La Liga. In 2012-13 plantar fasciitis in his left foot stopped him after the second matchday, and a knee sprain at Osasuna ruled him out for the rest of a season in which the team qualified for the Champions League on 1 June 2013. He left on 30 June 2015, when his deal expired, with 167 competitive appearances and eight goals: 144 league games, 15 in the Copa del Rey and eight in European competition.
The move to Athletic Club
His first competitive game for Athletic came on 30 July 2015, as a second-half substitute in a 0-0 draw away to Inter Baku in the Europa League third qualifying round. That August he lifted the 2015 Supercopa de España against FC Barcelona, with the second leg played on 17 August. Six days later he made his league debut, again against Barça, in a 1-0 home defeat at San Mamés in which he gave away a penalty on Luis Suárez.
On 27 August 2015 he scored the only goal of a 1-0 win over MŠK Žilina, which sent Athletic through on away goals. On 13 February 2016 he found the net at the Santiago Bernabéu. He finished his spell in Bilbao with 29 appearances and three goals in all competitions, and in June 2017 it was confirmed that the club would not renew his deal.
Colombia and Rayo Vallecano
On 14 July 2017 Atlético Nacional of Medellín announced his signing. His time in Colombia lasted only a few months: he played eight competitive matches before the club terminated his contract. On 17 January 2018 he joined Rayo Vallecano, played 14 games in the second half of the 2017-18 season and won the 2017-18 Segunda División, his second title in that division.
Back in the top flight, he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on 30 November 2018 in a match against SD Eibar. He underwent surgery and made only five appearances in 2018-19. In July 2019 he left Rayo after turning down a new deal, having played 19 times for the club. Rayo Vallecano was the last professional club of a career that totalled 224 competitive appearances and ten goals.
