Search icon

Football

21st Jul 2020

Santi Cazorla bids farewell to Villarreal after miraculous career

Santi Cazorla has bid farewell to European football after playing his last game for Villarreal having made a miraculous return from injury

Reuben Pinder

One of the few universally loved footballers

Santi Cazorla has played his last game for Villarreal, and will play out his career for Qatari side Al Sadd, who are managed by Xavi Hernandez.

Premier League fans will remember Cazorla fondly for his form at Arsenal in the early 2010s, but the past few years have been hellish for the playmaker.

An ankle injury which got much worse before it got better threatened his ability to walk, let alone play football. But through blood, sweat, and surgery, Cazorla regained fitness and returned to his first professional club for a third spell in 2018.

This season, he scored 15 goals from midfield – an impressive feat for anyone, let alone a 35-year-old who has overcome such a bad injury.