Two-time European Champion Santi Cazorla Retires After Fairytale Homecoming

Pulse Sports Team 13:00 - 02 July 2026

Spanish football midfielder Santi Cazorla has officially retired from playing at the age of 41. He concluded his career after helping Real Oviedo return to La Liga in 2025 and then playing his final season with the club.

"Now, as the boots are hung up and the noise turns to silence, everything falls into place, because the end wasn't just anywhere – I was home," Cazorla stated in a video on X.

After spells in Oviedo's youth teams, he moved to Villarreal, later joining Arsenal in 2012 following stints at Recreativo and Malaga.

He won the FA Cup twice with the Gunners. The creative midfielder also secured European Championship titles with Spain in 2008 and 2012, though injuries, a recurring theme throughout his career, cost him a spot in the 2010 World Cup-winning squad.