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 that lasted more than 20 years.
Santi Cazorla made the announcement on Thursday in a video shared on X, reflecting on his decision to step away from the game after finishing his final season with his hometown club, Real Oviedo.
“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,” he said.
The midfielder played a key role in helping Oviedo earn promotion to La Liga in 2025 before spending one last campaign with the club in Spain’s top division.
After starting out in Oviedo’s youth academy, Cazorla moved to Villarreal and later had successful spells with Recreativo and Malaga before joining Arsenal in 2012.
During his six years with the Premier League club, he helped Arsenal win the FA Cup in 2014 and 2015 and became one of the team’s most admired midfielders.
On the international stage, Cazorla won the UEFA European Championship with Spain in 2008 and again in 2012.
However, injuries prevented him from being part of the squad that lifted the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Following his time at Arsenal, he returned to Villarreal before moving to Qatari club Al Sadd.
In 2023, he completed an emotional return to Real Oviedo, then playing in Spain’s second division.
Real Oviedo praised Cazorla’s commitment to the club, revealing that he accepted the lowest salary allowed under league rules and donated all of his image rights to support the team.
“Cazorla decided to come back earning the minimum salary allowed by the league and donated all his image rights to the club,” said Oviedo in a statement Thursday.
“In return, he only asked that 10 percent of the sales of his jersey be entirely dedicated to Real Oviedo’s youth academy, to contribute to the growth of future generations.”
Oviedo also expressed hope that the former midfielder would remain with the club in any role he chooses after retiring from playing football.
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