Santi Cazorla Retires at 41 After Illustrious Career Including Arsenal and Spain

Santi Cazorla, the former Arsenal midfielder and two-time European champion with Spain, announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 41. He concluded his career at his boyhood club, Real Oviedo, after playing in the Spanish top division last season and helping the team secure promotion to La Liga at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

Born in Asturias, Spain, Cazorla began his youth career at Covadonga before joining Real Oviedo at age 12. He made his senior debut with Villarreal's reserve team, spending three years there before a season at Recreativo de Huelva. He then returned to Villarreal for four more years, winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2004. After a season with Malaga, Cazorla spent six years at Arsenal, where he made 180 appearances and scored 29 goals, contributing to two FA Cup victories.

Following his time in England, he returned to Villarreal for two seasons and then played three years at Qatar's Al Sadd. In his final three seasons, he played for Oviedo, helping them rise to Spain's top flight. Internationally, Cazorla was a key member of Spain's golden generation, winning the European Championship twice in 2008 and 2012. He earned 81 caps and scored 15 goals for the national team but missed the 2010 World Cup due to injury.

Cazorla was widely regarded as one of the most intelligent and creative midfielders in Spanish football history. His retirement marks the end of a distinguished career spanning over two decades.