Santi Cazorla took part in a virtual press conference to preview Spain’s second division play-offs. Real Oviedo, the boyhood club, the club that returned last year, aged 38, asked not to be paid, is preparing to face Eibar in the semi-finals.
It will be an important opportunity. Oviedo has not played in the top flight for 23 years, a painful hiatus that saw them drop to the fourth tier and survive financial turmoil. This play-off appearance has been the closest he has come to a comeback.
It shows the good nature of Cazorla, so even in this context, the beloved midfielder is happy to divert attention from everything to answer questions from English journalists about the phone about the possibility of returning to Arsenal when it is over.
It is, after all, something that has mooted itself. “I really want to go back,” he said The Guardian in April. However, Mikel Arteta, a friend and former teammate, said Sky Sports there is room for “unbelievable” energy and knowledge in his coaching staff.
So, with Cazorla retiring this summer, will the stars return to the club where he played 180 games, scored 29 goals, won two FA Cups, and became almost as popular as the two Europeans. Winner of the championship in Spain?
“I have a special affection for Arsenal,” Cazorla said Sky Sports. “I spent six good years there and I know how much everyone loves me there.
“Of course, I’m lucky to share the dressing room with Mikel Arteta and now he’s the manager. We’ve talked about it, but now I’m not focused on anything other than contributing to this club, Oviedo, and continuing to enjoy football. as a player.
“After that, we’ll see what the future holds for me. It’s clear that Arsenal is a club that always has an open door for me to come back. But for now, I’m just thinking about the play-offs and trying to enjoy the last days of my playing career.”
And what a career it has been.
Winning the European Championship with Spain, in 2008 and 2012, remains a highlight. Helping to end Arsenal’s trophy drought under Arsene Wenger was also special. But the prospect of promotion with Oviedo is something else.
Santi Cazorla spent six seasons with Arsenal
“It will be a great achievement and a different achievement. When you play at your home, it feels different. I have been lucky to win trophies, with Spain and in England as well. But it’s different when you play in front of friends and family.
“You feel responsible because you are contributing to the club of your heart. The level of responsibility is different from the added pressure.”
Cazorla enjoyed his formative years at Oviedo and only left, initially for Villarreal as an 18-year-old in 2003, due to the club’s unstable financial situation following relegation two years earlier.
“This is a special moment for me, coming back after 20 years. This is one of the goals I set for myself, to finish my career here. What better way than to help the team win promotion to the first division? I will try to achieve it personally and together.”
Injuries have limited him to 24 league appearances this season, only 10 of which have been starts. But there were glimpses of the old magic, the most noticeable of which were four assists, and it was telling that Oviedo had lost just two of the 10 games they had started.
Sadly, for him and for Oviedo, a muscle problem means he won’t be available for Saturday’s home leg against Eibar. However, even in a non-playing capacity, his influence has been – and will be – huge.
Santi Cazorla returned to Real Oviedo in August for the minimum wage allowed
“What I tell the other teams is that we are in a privileged situation, a situation where a lot of people want it,” he said.
“Part of the responsibility we have is to manage our nerves, but the most important thing is to enjoy the opportunity. We always want to have an opportunity like this.
“I think this pressure is a problem for us in the few games before the play-offs.” Oviedo just snuck up on goal difference after losing four of their last seven games. “But it shouldn’t be a burden. On the contrary. I just tell my friends to be happy.”
Cazorla, a great talent who always plays with a smile on his face, is the master of that. And while his frustration over his latest injury was clear, his sense of humor was still evident when he fielded questions from reporters in various locations – and on various topics.
Best Brazilian player you’ve played with? “What about Marcos Senna?” said with a grin the former Villarreal and Spain team-mate. “He plays for Spain, but he is Brazilian. I have to choose Marcitos because I have a good relationship with him.”
There was praise for Juan Roman Riquelme, another old Villarreal teammate. “I always say he’s the best player I’ve played with.” And Cazorla flashed a big smile when Sporting defender Gijon Cote, another speaker at the press conference, took the opportunity to call him a crackswhich roughly translates as a champion, adding that he hopes to see people in the final, if his own team beats Espanyol in another tie.
Santi Cazorla counts Villarreal among his former clubs
The prospect of meeting between Oviedo and Sporting Gijon, rivals in the kingdom of Asturias, just 30 kilometers apart, adds another layer of intrigue to what is to come. “Being in the Asturias derby in the final will be an incredible experience and make a losing team,” smiled Cazorla.
“People from Asturias know how football lives here and how desperate people are to see a team in the first division. In our case, it’s been 23 years, without playing the play-offs, so you can imagine. how people feel now, getting closer to achieving that dream.
“The hardest part is yet to come but there is excitement in the city. You can see it in the streets. You can see it in people’s eyes.
“I hope we can bring joy to their hearts.”
Of course, this is something that Cazorla has done throughout his career. Now, the challenge is to repeat the last feat. And beyond that? “I’ll find out later,” he said with a smile.
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