Santi Cazorla, former Arsenal and Spain midfielder, announces retirement at 41 | OneFootball

Santi Cazorla has announced his retirement from football at 41. The former Arsenal and Spain midfielder said in a post that he was ending his playing career on Thursday.

He had spent the past three years with Oviedo, his boyhood club. The Asturians won promotion to La Liga in 2025 but finished bottom last season and went down.

Never as high-profile as Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas or Busquets, Cazorla was cherished for his passing, sharp double touch and ambidexterity. His farewell message referred to great moments and unexpected difficulties.

He won Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, earning 81 caps for Spain and scoring 15 goals.

A severe infection caused by a healing issue left him out for 635 days between 2016 and 2018. He returned to fitness and form thereafter.

After Arsenal from 2012 to 2018, he reignited his career at Villarreal, playing 86 matches between 2018 and 2020 with 22 goals and 21 assists, having first broken through there from 2003 to 2011. He then spent four years with Al-Sadd from 2019 to 2023 before rejoining Oviedo.

Source: L'Équipe