Former Arsenal star Santi Cazorla was an idol to many and football fans are looking forward this season to enjoying his then beautiful show on the pitch.
The Spaniard was out of the game for almost two years, handicapped by an ankle injury that almost cost him his footballing career and could even have prompted an amputation.
Thankfully, the much loved midfielder was able to recover and thanks to months of rehabilitation, he has returned to the sport for which he has so much love.
Cazorla left Arsenal after six years in the Premier League and made his second return to Villarreal, for whom he has amassed 37 appearances and six goals this season.
There have been plenty of videos and reports to suggest Cazorla is showing some of his old magic but the overarching situation at the Estadio de la Ceramica is certainly worrying.
The club find themselves in a desperate battle for their La Liga survival and are currently joined by Huesca and Ray Vallecano in the relegation zone.
This weekend was particularly damning for Villarreal, too, as they suffered a bitterly disappointing defeat to Real Betis and missed the opportunity to steer clear of danger.
Ramiro Funes Mori offered some hope for the struggling team, but his early strike – sandwiched between a brace from Betis’ Giovani Lo Celso – couldn’t prevent a damaging defeat.
However, the game was also a massive blow for Cazorla himself, who had the opportunity to rescue a point for Villarreal in the closing minutes when they won a penalty.
The 34-year-old was incredibly reliable from the sport during his Arsenal spell, but couldn’t convert from 12 yards this weekend and saw his effort tamely saved by Pau Lopez.
Opting to go down the middle, Cazorla watched in horror as the Betis goalkeeper stood his ground and plucked the shot of the air with a clean catch. Check out the miss down below:
Absolutely gutting for Cazorla and just in case his emotions were in doubt, a video emerged after the game that showed the midfielder behind the scenes.
It appears to show him looking disconsolate about the result and his penalty miss, with another gentlemen seemingly consoling him before making an unexplained exit.
Given all the trials and tribulations that Cazorla has gone through recently, the footage is certainly sad to see and supporters have been quick to rally around. Take a look at the clip here:
Of course, there are still more than enough games for Villarreal to turn things around and Cazorla’s miscue certainly hasn’t confined them to Segunda Division football quite yet.
The Yellow Submarines have upcoming games with Girona, Leganes, Real Socieded and Huesca in which they can turn things around.
Fans will have to keep their fingers crossed that Cazorla will be showing a far different expression when the La Liga season comes to a close.