Santi Cazorla ended his professional career at Real Oviedo, the club of his life, after a final chapter that included the historic promotion to La Liga in 2025. The Asturian midfielder, who returned to Carbayón in 2023 aged 38, confirmed his retirement at 40 following the 2025-26 season, in which the team suffered immediate relegation.
The player, developed in Oviedo's youth academy, had to leave as a teenager due to the club's severe financial distress. He built a successful career at Villarreal, Arsenal, and the Spanish national team, but always harboured the desire to return. He did so in August 2023, signing a one-year deal for the minimum permitted salary, reportedly around €91,000 per season, and agreeing that 10% of his shirt sales be reinvested in the academy.
His goal was clear: to bring Oviedo back to the top flight after a 24-year absence. In the 2024-25 campaign, the team finished third in the Segunda División and entered the play-offs. Cazorla was decisive. In the semi-final second leg against Almería, he came off the bench to score the winning goal with a superb free-kick. In the final against Mirandés, he converted a penalty in a 3-2 victory that sealed promotion.
After fulfilling the dream, he signed a one-year extension for one last shot at La Liga. However, the 2025-26 season proved difficult and Oviedo finished bottom, going straight back down. Cazorla was mainly used as an impact substitute. Upon its conclusion, he announced his retirement on X with an emotional message. Santi Cazorla said: "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."
Cazorla's legacy endures at the Tartiere. The club now faces a new chapter in the second tier, where they sit seventh with 8 points from five games. Their recent form reads two wins, two draws, and one loss. The last outing was a convincing 0-3 away win at Valladolid, with goals from Carlos Domínguez, Dani Calvo, and Pablo Sáenz. The latter is the team's top scorer this season with two goals. The next fixture is a trip to face 11th-placed Sabadell. Supporters can check the full schedule on our fixtures page and track the team's progress in the standings.
The retirement of a local legend marks a turning point. Real Oviedo must build its immediate future on the foundations he helped solidify, looking to the next generation emerging from an academy he personally helped fund.
The original report is at goal.com
