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Former Arsenal midfielder Cazorla retires at 41
Former Arsenal midfielder Cazorla retires at 41
Santi Cazorla scored 29 goals in 180 appearances for Arsenal
Former Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla has retired from playing at the age of 41.
The former Spain international won two FA Cups with the Gunners - scoring a free-kick against Hull City in 2014 - and won the Euros twice with his national side.
His career was almost ended in 2016 after he contracted gangrene following an operation.
But incredibly he recovered after 11 operations to play on, and ended his career with three years at boyhood club 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," said Cazorla in a video on X., external
The club said they would like him to stay in any role or capacity that he chooses and "that makes him happy".
"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, external.
"In return, he only asked that 10 per cent of the sales of his jersey be entirely dedicated to Real Oviedo's youth academy, to contribute to the growth of future generations."