Former Spain midfielder Cazorla retires at 41

Former Arsenal and Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 41, bringing an end to a career spanning more than two decades.

The veteran playmaker concluded his career with hometown club Real Oviedo, helping them secure promotion to La Liga in 2025 before playing his final season in Spain’s top flight.

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Reflecting on his decision in a video shared on X, Cazorla said, “Now that everything is ending, when the boots are being hung up, and the noise is turning into silence, everything fits together, because the ending wasn’t just anywhere — I was at home.”

After emerging from Oviedo’s youth academy, Cazorla enjoyed successful spells at Villarreal, Recreativo, Malaga and Arsenal, joining the Premier League club in 2012.

During his six years in North London, he won two FA Cups in 2014 and 2015 and became one of Arsenal’s most admired midfielders.

At international level, Cazorla won the UEFA European Championship with Spain in 2008 and 2012 but missed the country’s historic 2010 FIFA World Cup triumph due to injury.

Following his departure from Arsenal, he returned to Villarreal before moving to Qatar’s Al Sadd. He rejoined Real Oviedo in 2023, accepting the minimum salary permitted by the league and donating all his image rights to the club.

According to Oviedo, Cazorla requested only that 10 per cent of proceeds from sales of his jerseys be invested in the club’s youth academy.
The club also expressed its desire for the former midfielder to remain involved in any role he chooses following his retirement.