Santi Cazorla retires with record number of meetings against Valencia | OneFootball

According to Superdeporte, Santi Cazorla has retired from football. Across more than two decades he faced Valencia more than any other opponent, 21 times.

Though remembered for Villarreal, Arsenal and Real Oviedo, his meetings with Valencia shaped a period when the regional derby felt like a European decider and a measure of two rising projects.

In the late 2000s Valencia were the benchmark as Villarreal, under Manuel Pellegrini, pushed to join the elite. Cazorla orchestrated their play and treated those derbies like finals, saying they could not afford missteps, especially against Valencia.

The rivalry’s peak ran from 2007 to 2011. A 0-3 derby in 2007-08 featured Cazorla scoring the third in the 90th minute, a signpost to Villarreal’s rise as they finished that season as league runners-up.

The following campaign brought a 3-3 at Mestalla, distilling the intensity and shared target of Europe. The cup also delivered drama, with Cazorla netting on 80 minutes in the 2011 last-16 second leg, a 4-2 win that sent Villarreal through.

The record will sit in the books, the memory of his game will linger longer. One of Spanish football’s great creatives bows out, his magic still alive in those who watched him.

Source: Superdeporte