**Former Gunners favourite Santi Cazorla has announced his retirement from football.**
The 41-year-old spent last season at Real Oviedo in La Liga but has now called time on his 23-year playing career, during which he won two European Championships with Spain.
Santi joined us from Malaga in the summer of 2012, and established himself as an integral part of the team as he proved to be one of the most technically gifted players in the Premier League. He ended his first season in England by winning our Player of the Season award, when he played in all 38 league matches.
He would end with 180 appearances for us across six years, and scoring 29 goals in all competitions. One of those was a sublime free-kick in the 2014 FA Cup final against Hull City, sparking our unforgettable comeback to clinch the silverware. He had also scored the winning penalty in the shootout success against Wigan Athletic in the semi-final at Wembley.
A goalscorer in the Community Shield win over Manchester City the following August, the 2014/15 season saw him return to the national stadium again and put in a man of the match display during our 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa to retain the trophy.
Capped 81 times for his country, he also starred for Villarreal during three spells where he made over 300 appearances. He lifted three league titles in Qatar with Al Sadd before a romantic return to his hometown club Oviedo, whom he helped win promotion back to La Liga in 2024/25 as captain.
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