40-year-old Cazorla: Before retiring, I really want to go back to Arsenal

On March 15, 2025, Real Oviedo played against Elche at home in the Spanish League Two. Oviedo fell behind 0-1 in the first half, and they created a penalty kick and took the penalty 65 minutes in the second half. This goal allowed Oviedo to score a valuable point and remain in the upgraded playoffs.

The player who scored a penalty was Oviedo's captain. Ten years ago, his Achilles tendon was removed 8 cm and was announced by a doctor to retire. And now, at the age of 40, he continues to run on the court.

He is, Santi Cazorla. On December 13, 1984, Santi Caszorla was born in a small town in Spain called Fonciello, which is located in the suburban junction of the city of Oviedo. As a local native, Cazorla has been a big fan of the Royal Oviedo Club since childhood. At the age of 8, he joined Oviedo youth training; from the age of 12, he has become the best among all age echelons; at the age of 16, he skipped the grade and entered Oviedo B team; at the age of 18, he entered the first team training and was selected for the Spanish U21 national team. Then, when he was only one step away from his childhood dream... he was sold by the team.

There is no choice. Oviedo was in a financial crisis in the 2002-03 season. At the end of the season, the team was directly relegated to the Western Conference C. In order to fill the book hole, Cazorla was sold as a team's few benign assets. In the summer of 2003, Cazorla, who was under 19 years old, transferred to Villarreal. Four months later, he made his La Liga debut for Villarreal.

In the 2004-05 season, the 20-year-old Cazorla gradually appeared in the team's main lineup and scored 6 goals in her first season. The team eventually ranked fourth in the league and was awarded a qualifying for the Champions League. In the 2005-06 season, Cazorla continued to improve with the team, Villarreal reached the semi-finals all the way, and Cazorla also started in the semi-finals.

Then... he was sold by the team again. The next home is Vilva, which costs only 600,000 euros. There are three main reasons why this transfer occurs.

A. At that time, Cazorla's best position was the front midfielder, which coincided with Riquelme.

B. The team reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. In the summer window of 2006, they signed 10 people in one go, and felt that Cazorla could no longer be on the table.

C. The team is sick.

Yes, to this day, the deal is still topped the Villarreal's "Brain Hemorrhage Transfer Ranking". As soon as the news came out, many fans even came to the club department to protest.

Fortunately, Villarreal added a repurchase clause to the transfer contract, otherwise he would have regretted it. Because, after joining Vilva, Caszorla became the team's thigh that season and was selected for the All-Series La Liga season.

In contrast, Villarreal experienced great changes that year.

A. In December 2006, Riquelme had a falling out with the then coach Pellegrini. Three months later, he was rented to the Boca Youth, and the team's core waist was gone.

B. In 2007, it encountered a global economic crisis, and Villarreal was deeply in a fiscal crisis and could no longer support large-scale consumption.

In short, the team lacks kidneys and has no money to treat diseases. What to do? Buy Cazorla back. In the summer of 2007, Cazorla was bought back by Villarreal just one year after being sold... After returning, Cazorla broke out completely. He can pass straight in the middle and dribble in the side. His left and right feet are balanced to the point where he can fry the balls without any difference, and a long shot after one kick. In 2008, 23-year-old Cazorla wore the national team's jersey for the first time and represented Spain in the European Cup.

It may be difficult for fans who have not passed through that era to imagine the value of this selection. So please allow me to solemnly introduce the list of midfielders selected at the same time as Cazorla. Their names are: Xavi, Iniesta, David Silva, Fabregas, Xavi Alonso.

Is this a list? This is an era.

In the end, Spain made great progress and won the championship, and Cazorla also won the first trophy in his life. After the European Cup, Real Madrid once wanted to sign Cazorla, but Cazorla refused. He said, "I am very satisfied with my club and hope to continue to grow in Villarreal." "Football means a lot to me, not just Real Madrid."

After that, Cazorla's light shines more and more. Although he missed the 2010 World Cup due to injury, in the subsequent 2010-11 season, he played 55 times for Villarreal, leading the team to the top 4 of the league.

However, behind the highlight record is Villarreal's severely deteriorating financial situation. In the spring of 2011, the club was so poor that it was delayed in paying wages. So, they decided to open the position and let the people go, and sold them out with tears. After the summer window opened, Villarreal sold out 9 players, including Cazorla, and all the temporary workers on loan and young players from the B team were added.

The results also came immediately...

In the 2010-11 season, Villarreal ranked fourth in the league and advanced to the Champions League.

2011-12 season. Villarreal ranked 18th in the league and was relegated to the Spanish Second Division.

The world is big, where is my family? The good news is that Cazorla did not follow the team and was sold by Villarreal to a La Liga newcomer for 23 million euros.

The bad news is that the name of this upstart is: Malaga.

In the summer of 2010, Malaga was acquired by Qatar royal member Alsani. In two years, the oil father bought more than 30 players for Malaga in one go. In addition to Cazorla, a group of big names such as Van Nie, Joaquin, Isco, Monreal, Tularang, Longton, Demichelis, and Baptista have also arrived.

2011-12 season, Cazorla continued his outstanding performance, playing in 42 games to send 9 goals and 5 assists. With the support of all the stars, Malaga has also risen from barely relegation (17th place) two years ago to fourth place in the league, and has obtained the first Champions League qualification in the team's history.

Seeing such a record, Oil Dad was very happy. In order to show his financial resources, Alsani also left a famous saying on social platforms: "My horse is more expensive than Ronaldo!"

However, when everyone thought that Malaga would become the next Manchester City, things began to change.

At the end of the 2011-12 season, Osasuna complained to the Spanish Football Association that Monreal's transfer fee has not yet been received.

Immediately afterwards, Villarrel also complained that the final payment for Malaga to buy Cazorla has not been settled.

By August, the La Liga Players' Union received collective complaints from Málaga players. After investigation, Malaga owes first-team players a total of 40% of their salary...

What is the wealth that he said is comparable to a country? What you mean by "Male is more expensive than Ronaldo", does it mean "Male is more expensive! Ronaldo is more expensive!"?

Faced with such a mess, Alttany sent a representative to Malaga and announced the decision to "no longer inject capital into the team", and ended the live FM game with a sloppy sentence "I won't play anymore."

The next story is of course: selling people.

In the summer window of the 2012-13 season, the team Malaga/loaned 10 players, and the signings of 0.23 million Cazorla was sold for 19 million euros after a highlight season.

And this team that has taken a big advantage is Arsenal.

Third brother Cassora!

Many years later, Arteta was asked in an interview:

"Which transfer from Arsenal in your player age excited you the most?"

"Cazora. He is so special, I know he will change our team."

Yes, Arteta didn't miss it. In his first Premier League season, Cazorla scored 12 goals and 11 assists, becoming the player with the highest average WS score in Arsenal (7.86). In the 2014 FA Cup final, Arsenal was behind 0-2 for a time, and Cazorla scored a free kick and sounded the counterattack horn. However, Professor Wenger had a more grand blueprint in his heart at that time. In 2013 and 2014, Arsenal bought a German chicken and Alexis Sanchez, respectively, occupying Cazorla's midfielder and left forward. For a while, Cazorla was squeezed out of the starting lineup, but Wenger quickly found him a new position: the back midfielder.

As the saying goes, having ambition is not about height, and blooming may not necessarily lead the front. Letting a 168cm player play as a midfielder was originally just a professor's attempt, but he did not expect to find a version of the answer for Arsenal. Especially after Coquelin returned from Charlton, Cazorla began to shine in the back midfielder position.

First, he has the vision and creativity developed by the midfielder many years ago, and his passing after moving the position backwards seems more imaginative.

Secondly, he has excellent short-distance propulsion ability, low center of gravity, sufficient strength, and excellent small skills. These allow him to resist the opponent's pulling and interference when pushing, and he can also shoot back and shoot.

The Magician performed against Manchester City in third, his defensive ability was gradually honed, and after stealing, he often used simple rhythm changes to make the scene clear.

In the 2014-15 season, Cazorla contributed 8 goals and 15 assists to Arsenal, averaging 2.3 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game were his best performance since joining the Premier League, and the opponent's success rate of winning balls in the 30-meter area ranked first in the Premier League.

For such Cazorla, Xavi's evaluation is: "He is the non-Lamacia player who knows the core of Lamacia best." The fans' evaluation is more direct: "Arsenal has such strong control because it puts Messi on the back midfielder!" In the 2015-16 season, Cazorla played 22 times and sent 1 goal and 6 assists, and Arsenal also ushered in an excellent opportunity to compete for the league championship. However, Cazorla had been plagued by an ankle injury for two years at that time. In December 2015, Cassol completely fell down. Under the treatment of the Arsenal veterinary team, he had been raised for half a year.

It was this six months that made him miss the 2016 European Cup, and Arsenal also lost the opportunity to win the league. That season, in the games Cazorla played, Arsenal's winning rate was as high as 68.2%, and without him, the winning rate dropped sharply to 44%... It can even be said that if Cazorla had not been injured, there might not be the miracle of Leicester City.

Cazora finally made a comeback in the 2016-17 season. He made 2 goals and 3 assists 11 times. Everyone thought this would be a sign of his return to the top, but unexpectedly, this was the beginning of a nightmare.

On October 19, 2016, Arsenal played against Ludogorec at home in the third round of the Champions League group stage. In the 56th minute of the game, Cazorla overheaded the ball and helped the No. 11 player change the score to 4-0, and then was replaced and left the field. After the game, Cazorla's ankle hurt so much that he burst into tears. He said to the doctor, "I told the doctor, 'I can't kick anymore,' and I have to check my ankle well." After that, Cazorla had surgery. However, during the recovery process, a postoperative infection occurred. He had gangrene on the surgical site, an infection that often occurred in the trenches of World War I.. The bacteria swallowed his Achilles tendon, and by the time he discovered it, his skin had been necrotic. If he finds out a little later, he may need an amputation.

So Cazorla had to fly to Sweden again for surgery, when his contract with Arsenal was less than a year left. Before the operation, Wenger called him and said, "I have someone send you a new one-year contract. You sign it, I'll wait for you."

Caszorla was very moved at that time, but he didn't know that after that operation... there were 8 surgeries waiting for him.

Goodbye, Arsenal

In just half a year, Cazorla's Achilles tendon was removed 8 cm, and the skin with the necrotic Achilles tendon needs to be grafted. Considering the skin conditions, the doctor finally decided to remove the skin from his arm - that was where he was tattooed, and was tattooed with the name of his daughter "India".

Anaesthetized, entered the operating room, woke up, only the tattoo of his arm was "Ind", and "ia" was on his heel. After such a large-scale operation, his surgeon told him, "You have to consider retiring, it would be nice to be able to walk in your back garden in the future." However, Cazorla, who was just over 30, did not want to give up his football career. He said, "My son Enzo often asked me: Dad, why don't you play football yet? I always tell him that it's almost done. For him, I have to return to the arena."

In the following time, Cazorla experienced unbearable rehabilitation. During his recovery, many teammates sent him messages to encourage him. Monreal, Bellerin, Mertesak, and Velbeck even call him every week to ask about his condition, "How is the injury healed, I miss you." At the end of the 2017-18 season, Cazorla's new one-year contract was about to expire, and he returned to his upcoming return.

On April 19, 2018, Wenger publicly expressed his hope to keep Cazorla at Emirates Stadium.

However, just one day later, the professor announced that he would leave after the end of the season. The professor

is gone, and Cazorla cannot obtain a new contract.

April 28, 2018 is the day when Arsenal plays at home against Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. That day, Caszorla called Wenger.

Cazora: "Boss, can I go to the court to practice before the game?"

Wenger: "You can play the court, I will arrange a few minutes for you depending on the situation."

Cazora: "No, I won't play. I just want to go to train again and feel the atmosphere of the Emirates Stadium, just once."

So, three hours before that game, Cazora came to the empty Emirates Stadium...stretched, ran laps, stepped on the field, and completed his last training class at Arsenal alone. Before leaving the team, he took the initiative to have a long talk with the new coach Emery. "I told him the situation of the club and the players, and I want to help him. As long as it can help Arsenal, I will do it."

Cazorla is a happy guy who has always conveyed happiness to the people around him. Gains and losses, successes and failures, gathering or dispersing, have become the norm in his difficult career. But this farewell to Arsenal made him sad for a long time. In 2018, he said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian:

"I am very sorry that I did not get the opportunity to say goodbye to Arsenal."

"This is the biggest club I have ever played for, and I miss everything here."

"If I have to leave, I hope it is in front of the fans."

"I want to say to them in person: Thank you."

boarded the yellow submarine again, fortunately, after leaving Arsenal, his old club Villarreal offered Casorla a new contract for one year. And, a special official announcement ceremony.

Villarreal hired a magician and placed a smoke-filled glass cabin in the center of the Love Song Stadium. Then, the smoke gradually dissipated and Casorla appeared in the warehouse. Villarreal announced to the world in this extremely creative way: Our old friend Cazorla, he is back. In the first round of La Liga in 2018-19, Villarreal played against Real Sociedad at home, and Cazorla returned to the stadium. On this day, it has been 668 days since his last appearance in the game.

This is a real return.

——In the 2018-19 season, he played 46 times to contribute 7 goals and 11 assists, including a double score against Real Madrid and a world-wide goal against Barcelona.

——In the 2019-20 season, he played 40 times and contributed 15 goals and 10 assists. He was the only player in La Liga that season who shot more than 30 shots, created opportunities, tackles and successfully passed by, and surpassed Riquelme to become the halftime scorer in Villarreal's history.

In June 2019, Cazorla was re-elected into the Spanish national team after four years. Spain played against the Faroe Islands in the European qualifiers, and Cazorla started. In the second half, Ramos was replaced and the captain's armband was handed over to Casorla.

For Cazorla, this was an extremely glorious moment. After the game, Wenger and many former Arsenal teammates sent congratulatory messages. His social media was filled with countless fans who congratulated him, and many of them wrote in their notes: Love comes from Arsenal.

In fact, after returning to La Liga, Arsenal has always been unwilling to accept the will of Cazorla. In the quarter-finals of the 2019 Europa League, Villarreal and Valencia met on a narrow road. Later Cassorla recalled that in addition to advancing in that game, he had a little selfishness.. "If we win Valencia, we can play Arsenal in the semi-finals, and I can return to the Emirates Stadium!"

Unfortunately, Villarreal lost that game, and his plan to return to Arsenal was wiped out again.

In 2020, at the repeated invitation of Xavi, then the head coach of the Alsade team, Cazorla came to Qatar, where he spent three years, giving the team an average of 10 goals + 10 assists per season.

In the 2020-21 season, Villarreal reached the UEFA Cup final. At that time, Cazorla was already in Alsad and watched the Europa League final as a fan, but after winning the championship, the players threw him high, as if he had never left here.

Facts have proved that every team that once owned Cazorla loves him very much. In 2023, Alsad offered him a new contract extension, but Cassorla refused.

Because, there is still a "child emperor dream" in his heart that has not been realized.

Real Oviedo, the place where he played for ten years but failed to play in the first team jersey.

Yes, there are countless summers in life, but there is only one teenager.

Go home, go back to the original beauty

In fact, Oviedo, who sold Cazorla due to the financial crisis, has not recovered since then. In 2003, they were down to the fourth division. There are nearly 350 teams in this level, and most teams are not much better at home than Park Wild Stadium.

They almost went bankrupt again in a crisis in 2012. In the end, they relied on the vigorous purchase of more than 2 million euros from the team's shares by star players such as Cazorla, Mata, and Michu from Oviedo youth training to save the team. And that rescue operation was initiated by Cazorla.

In the summer window of 2023, Cazorla returned to Oviedo through visa-free. He originally wanted to play for his parent team for free, but the agent found out after consultation that it violated the Spanish Football Association's minimum salary regulations for Spanish Second Division players. So, Caszorla decided to sign a contract with Oviedo with a minimum wage line of 90,000 euros. The only requirement was that 10% of the income from Oviedo's sales of his No. 8 jersey must be used directly for youth training.

"I don't want to have children who love the team as much as I do, and I'm forced to leave because of financial problems."

40-year-old Cazorla, who was sentenced to "retirement" by a doctor, is still running on the green field after being sentenced to "retirement" for ten years. So far, he has given Oviedo 48 times, giving 2 goals and 8 assists, and helped Oviedo qualify for the Spanish Second Division to upgrade to the playoffs last season.

In addition to leading Oviedo to upgrade, Cazorla only has one long-cherished wish left in his career.

"I often say to old acquaintances in Arsenal: Friend, give me a chance and let me go back to the Emirates Stadium to play a friendly match!"

"Before retirement, I really wanted to play another game in front of gun fans."

At the end of last year, Cazorla returned to the Emirates Stadium, a seemingly simple wish, which he had been thinking about for eight years.

Yes, Cazorla is such a person with temperament.

Looking back on his career, he was talented when he was young, but he was sold repeatedly. He experienced various financial crises. He finally found a team that suited him during his peak period, but suffered a serious injury and almost lost one leg. The whole world felt that he was not good, but he returned to the arena with his willpower that was comparable to that of an extraordinary person, and finally he was able to see the sky again in front of the cold iron roll blade.

During this period, every setback he experienced may cause people to sink into depression and resentment in this world, but Cazorla did not. On the contrary, he was always happy, and the only thing he thought was not to let down anywhere he had been.

Perhaps, this is Cazorla's life creed:

I come from hell and go to heaven.

At this moment, I am walking down-to-earth in the world.