 However, when the latter moved to Barcelona in the 2017 off-season he did not take the former with him, nor was there any place in the new Athletic coaching structure under José Angel Ziganda; instead, Gurpegui was appointed as an ambassador for the club.Gurpegui's older brother, Pedro María, was also a footballer who played as a forward.He had a spell in the reserve team of Osasuna, coming up against his younger sibling in a league fixture in the semi-professional Segunda División B in 2000.