Santi Cazorla almost had to have his foot amputated during nearly two years of injury hell. Now, the former Arsenal midfielder is starring for Villarreal in Spain. Nick Wright examines his remarkable resurgence.
Went to watch Villarreal last night, pleased to say that Santi Cazorla is still an absolute magician. A class above his teammates, it was like watching Le Tissier, or Payet at West Ham. Here he is almost whamming home a long-range free kick: pic.twitter.com/PHcyJppDPc
— Kier Wiater Carnihan (@Kierrrrrrrr) January 27, 2019
Six-hundred and thirty-six days. That was how long Santi Cazorla went without playing a game of football. His injury nightmare began with an innocuous substitution in Arsenal’s Champions League win over Ludogorets in October 2016, and it continued right up until July of last year, almost two years later, when he appeared in a Villarreal pre-season friendly against Hercules.
Arsene Wenger called it the worst injury he had ever seen, but the true horror of what Cazorla went through was not widely known until last September, when the stomach-churning details – the Achilles tendon ravaged by infection, the gaping wound that refused to heal, the threat of amputation – were revealed in an interview with The Guardian.
Cazorla was told he would be lucky to walk again, let alone play football, but fast forward to today and that is exactly what he is doing. He came through Villarreal’s pre-season campaign unscathed, signing a one-year contract with his former club in August, just a few months after his release by Arsenal, and he has not looked back since.
On an individual level, it has exceeded any imaginable expectations. Villarreal are in a perilous position in La Liga, two points adrift of safety in 18th place, but Cazorla has made 31 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals, providing six assists and, crucially, remaining injury-free. If Villarreal are to survive, it will owe a lot to his enduring genius.
Because it is all still there. Cazorla is 34 now, but the touch and vision are unchanged. The feet are still deceptively quick and the moments of magic keep coming. In challenging circumstances, a season in which Villarreal have sacked their manager, hired a new one and then replaced him with the old one a few weeks later, Cazorla has been a ray of light.
This is Cazorla’s third stint at Villarreal. In the first two, which came either side of a season at Recreativo Huelva in 2006/07, he scored 35 goals in 248 appearances, helping them qualify for Europe on a regular basis and earning his place in an historically good Spain squad. Cazorla was a key figure for Villarreal then, but he is even more important now.
Like in his final seasons at Arsenal, Cazorla has been primarily used in central midfield, where he is able to dictate the play, but it is a testament to his extraordinary physical recovery that he has also been deployed on the flanks. Indeed, it was from Villarreal’s left that he scored twice in their memorable 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in January.
His first goal was a sublime, curling finish struck first-time from the corner of the box; his second a rare header as he ghosted between Sergio Ramos and Marcelo. Cazorla took home the man-of-the-match award afterwards.
That display, against a Madrid midfield containing Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric, was the highlight of his season so far, but above all it has been a story of consistency. Cazorla has featured in all but three of Villarreal’s 26 La Liga games. He has started their last 10.
His creative instincts remain as sharp as ever. According to Opta, Cazorla is creating 2.6 chances per 90 minutes in La Liga this season, putting him fifth in the division behind only Valencia’s Daniel Parejo, Huesca’s Alex Gallar, Real Sociedad’s Ruben Pardo and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
It is little wonder that Villarreal hope to extend his contract, and Arsenal supporters are entitled to wonder whether he could have been similarly productive in north London.
Cazorla was a huge miss during his injury-hit final two seasons at the Emirates Stadium under Wenger, and it is fair to say midfield creativity has been an issue under Unai Emery, too.
Santi Cazorla's game by numbers vs. Sevilla:
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 17, 2019
91% passing accuracy
87 touches
4/4 tackles won
4/4 take-ons
3 chances created
3 fouls won
2 clearances
2 shots
1 assist
Like a fine wine. 🍷 pic.twitter.com/hVefdGdvkI
The truth, though, is that the decision to let him go was a fair one at the time. No one – not even Cazorla himself – could have predicted this miraculous resurgence.
Santi Cazorla scores his fifth goal of the season here. He also has five assists.
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) February 3, 2019
In La Liga he ranks 3rd for key passes.
He was out for 636 days and told he would be lucky to ever walk again 👏
https://t.co/a51nD87QUb
No one could have known that after 636 days out – after the interminable months of rehabilitation and the constant fear that it might all be over – Santi Cazorla would be weaving his old magic again.
I will never forgive arsenal for selling Santi Cazorla , we’d easily be challenging for top spot had we kept him , top draw player 😢🤷🏼♂️😡— deano, dwanski (@hicko23) March 5, 2019
That Europa League draw….gah. So wanted Santi Cazorla back at Arsenal. And even beyond that it was (from Sp/Eng perspective) unbelievably dull. Bugger.— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) February 22, 2019