Santi Cazorla has announced his retirement at 41, ending an extraordinary football career that included major successes with Arsenal and the Spanish national team.
Santi Cazorla has announced his retirement at 41, bringing to an end one of the most extraordinary careers in world football. For Arsenal fans, he will always be the elegant midfielder who helped bring home two FA Cups, including that decisive free kick in the 2014 final against Hull City.
For Spain, Cazorla was part of a generation that won the European Championship twice. Those who have followed his story closely know how significant his latest chapter at Real Oviedo is. Cazorla's retirement was not simply the result of the passage of time; his career risked ending in 2016 due to complications following surgery that led to a form of gangrene. After eleven operations, many players would have stopped, but not him. He fought and returned to the field, continuing to play for another three years with his favorite club.
At Arsenal, Cazorla brought control, balance and technical quality to a team that often relied on his calm in moments of pressure. His ability to play with both feet, dictate the pace and produce moments of precision when the going got tough made him a vital player. That free kick in the FA Cup final remains one of the most iconic moments of his England career.
At the international level, its place is guaranteed. Two European Champion titles with Spain place him in elite company, achieved in one of the strongest periods in the country's footballing history. The importance of the end of his career was underlined by his return to Oviedo, where he decided to return earning the minimum wage allowed by the league and donating all his image rights to the club. "In exchange, he only asked that 10% of the sales of his shirts be entirely dedicated to the Real Oviedo youth academy, to contribute to the growth of future generations."
Cazorla summed up his journey perfectly: “Now that everything is coming to an end, when the boots are hung up and the noise turns to silence, everything fits together, because the end wasn't just anywhere – I was at home.” A great footballer, yes. But above all a serious professional who has earned every iota of respect he has received.
Canada reached the round of 16 of the World Cup for the first time, beating South Africa 1-0. Jesse Marsch's team will face the winner between Morocco and the Netherlands.
Ange Postecoglou has been officially appointed as Al-Nassr manager, taking over from Jorge Jesus and managing Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League.
Fenerbahçe deny Mason Greenwood transfer rumours, stating that no member of their football committee is currently in France for such discussions.