Former Spain and Arsenal playmaker Santi Cazorla retires at 41, capping a career of titles and a harrowing injury comeback

The announcement

Santi Cazorla, the former Spanish international midfielder, confirmed his retirement on Thursday with a video posted to social media. He was 41 and had just completed a season in La Liga with Real Oviedo, the club from his native Asturias where his journey began.

“Now that everything is ending, when the boots are hung up and the noise fades into silence, everything fits together. Because the ending wasn't just anywhere; it was at home.”

The video played on his shirt number 8, turning it into an infinity symbol. Cazorla described his path as one that did not close but kept circling back.

From a village pitch to European titles

Cazorla's story started in Fonciello, a village near Oviedo, with a boy who only wanted to play. He progressed through Oviedo's youth system and later shone at Villarreal, earning a move to Arsenal in 2012.

With Spain, he won Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, part of the golden generation. At Arsenal he lifted two FA Cups under Arsène Wenger, making 180 appearances.

“It started in Fonciello, on just another pitch with a ball and a kid that wanted to play football. That's where I came from.”

The injury that almost ended everything

In October 2016, during a Champions League match against Ludogorets, Cazorla limped off with an ankle injury. What followed was a medical ordeal: eight operations in two years, an infection that consumed eight centimetres of his Achilles tendon, and a risk of losing the leg. He later contracted gangrene.

His last game for Arsenal came that month. He spent his final two years in London without a first-team appearance, but he never abandoned hope.

The comeback

Cazorla returned to Villarreal in 2018, scoring 22 goals and providing 22 assists in two seasons. He then played for Al-Sadd in Qatar before making the decision to finish at his boyhood club.

In 2023 he signed with Real Oviedo, accepting the league's minimum salary and donating all his image rights to the club. He asked only that 10% of shirt sales go to the youth academy.

A final promotion and relegation

In 2025, Cazorla helped Oviedo return to the top flight for the first time in 24 years. He made 28 La Liga appearances last season, but the club was relegated again.

The club said it hopes Cazorla will stay in any role that makes him happy. He had previously expressed interest in coaching, possibly returning to Arsenal.