Santi Cazorla

Villarreal

Born in Llanera, Asturias, Cazorla started playing club football for local team Real Oviedo, being acquired by Villarreal six months before turning 18, as his previous club, immersed in a deep financial crisis, suffered two relegations at the end of the 2002–03 season which saw it land in Tercera División.

Cazorla then progressed through the reserve side, making his debut with the first team on 30 November 2003 in a 1–0 La Liga win at Deportivo de La Coruña, playing one minute in place of Roger, making one more appearance off the bench over the season. He scored his first goal in a 3–0 win at Odense Boldklub in the following summer's UEFA Intertoto Cup, which the Yellow Submarine eventually won.

Established in the main squad in the 2004–05 campaign, Cazorla scored four goals in a run to the quarter-finals of the season's UEFA Cup. On 1 May 2005, given an opportunity due to Juan Román Riquelme's suspension, he scored his first league goal in a 4–0 win over Getafe at El Madrigal, and followed it a week later with a strike in a 2–0 victory at Málaga. After contributing to an eventual fourth-place finish, he also made two goalless appearances in the following season's UEFA Champions League, where Villarreal were semi-finalists.

Recreativo

On 7 July 2006 newly promoted Recreativo de Huelva signed Cazorla for €600,000 on a four-year deal, with a clause in his contract whereby he could return to Villarreal (for €1.2 million), going on to score in his official debut, a 1–1 home draw with Mallorca, on 27 August. The following 22 April, he dedicated a goal to his father, José Manuel, who had died recently, in a 4–2 home win against Racing de Santander; in the penultimate fixture on 10 June, he struck twice in a 5–2 win at Deportivo de La Coruña.

His performances helped the Andalusians finish eighth, and he was named Spanish Player of the Year according to Don Balón, a member of European Sports Magazines, after topping its rating list.

Return to Villarreal

The following year, Villarreal took advantage of the clause in Cazorla's contract and bought him back, as the team believed he had proven himself. In his first season in his second spell, he was instrumental in Villarreal's final runner-up placing, providing assists for Nihat Kahveci and Giuseppe Rossi and netting five goals himself.

On 26 August 2008, Cazorla announced that Real Madrid were interested in signing him. He then went on to cause a stir in the media by rejecting the team, announcing that, "There are many other things in football besides Real Madrid. It's clear that it is possible to say 'no' to them, there is no doubt that they are a great team, but I also feel very satisfied and valued at my club." He added, "I hope I can continue growing at Villarreal because I am young and I’m only starting off with the national team."

During a league game against Almería in early April 2009, Cazorla injured his right fibula after suffering a challenge from two opponents. He missed several games but el Submarino Amarillo still managed to qualify for the Europa League, as the player made his comeback earlier than expected in the side's final match, a 3–2 win at Mallorca, and finished the league campaign with a career-high eight goals.

Cazorla struggled heavily with injury in the 2009–10 season, going on to miss the 2010 World Cup. He returned to full fitness in the following campaign, only missing one game and scoring five times as Villarreal finished fourth and qualified to the Champions League.

Málaga

On 26 July 2011 Cazorla left Villarreal and returned to Andalusia to join high-spending Málaga for a fee of €21 million. He scored on his official debut on 28 August, netting from a superbly taken free kick in a 1–2 away loss against neighbouring Sevilla. On 12 September, he scored a brace and gave an assist in another local derby, a 4–0 home win against Granada, and netted his fourth in only four games nine days later – again from a free kick – in a 1–0 home success over Athletic Bilbao.

On 18 March 2012, Cazorla scored from an injury-time free kick in a 1–1 away draw against Real Madrid, and finished the season as the team's second top scorer (only behind Salomón Rondón) as Málaga finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League for the first time in the club's history.

Arsenal

On 7 August 2012, it was officially announced that Cazorla had signed a long-term deal with Arsenal worth £10 million in the Premier League. He became Arsène Wenger's third major signing of the summer after the arrivals of German attacker Lukas Podolski and French striker Olivier Giroud.

2012–13 season

Cazorla picked up the man of the match award on his debut for the club against Sunderland, and followed that with another accomplished display at Stoke City. "Every day I’m becoming more used to [my teammates] and I'm enjoying myself more," he said. "The club have done a lot to help me settle in the team and to make it easy for me to get used to life in the city. Every day is a little bit better and I feel a little more comfortable."

The Spanish playmaker grabbed his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win against Liverpool at Anfield. Cazorla scored in October against West Ham United that won the Arsenal's Goal of the Month award. The Spaniard drew praise from manager Arsène Wenger after that game, stating, “He is right footed but when you watch him play you don't know. It shows how important that is in the modern midfield."

Cazorla was an ever-present figure throughout November, starting in every one of Arsenal’s fixtures. The playmaker scored a consolation at Old Trafford against Manchester United and, like Podolski and Giroud, scored in his first North London derby appearance against Tottenham Hotspur, where he was also named man of the match. "I feel valued here," he told Arsenal in an interview. "The manager gives me confidence, and within the team I have a responsibility that I love having. Little by little, I hope to keep improving and I hope to help the team as much as possible."

He scored his first hat-trick for the club against Reading, a performance that saw him pick up another man of the match award. "It's a pleasure for anyone to play with a player like Santi," teammate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain told Arsenal in an interview. "You can give him the ball in tight situations and you can trust him to get out of them and create things. We’ve been working on getting him and Jack [Wilshere] in behind the lines, between the defence and the midfield and picking up little pockets of space. When you get the ball to them two in those positions, especially Santi, he can create things—shots on target, goals and assists." Despite his successful start to the campaign, Cazorla was mired in controversy during the match against West Bromwich Albion, as he earned a penalty upon apparently being tripped by Steven Reid, which was converted to make it 1–0 in an eventual 2–0 home success. Television replays, however, showed that there had been no contact between Reid and Cazorla. This led to Wenger issuing an apology for Cazorla being awarded a penalty and suggesting that the Spaniard could face disciplinary action for going to ground too easily; the manager also revealed that the playmaker had told him that he "was touched, lost his balance."

Cazorla scored against West Ham with a backheel in January. He enjoyed a fruitful February, scoring the winner in a man of the match display against Sunderland before also securing victory against Aston Villa with a brace. "You see he takes his chances with his technique and his feeling," teammate Per Mertesacker told Arsenal. "He is the perfect footballer."

His performance against Swansea City saw him named man of the match for another time, before he finished the month in style by netting in the 4–1 win against Reading at Emirates Stadium. "For any footballer, it's the most important thing to make the people who support you happy and give back to them on the pitch," he said regarding positive relationship with the Arsenal's fans.

"What I've taken from this year is that as a team, we weren't very consistent for half of the season, which cost us in terms of reaching the higher positions in the league," he told Arsenal. "Now we're a lot more consistent and that's the form we were lacking before—being consistent and getting the three points whenever we could. We're a long way off the top because of this lack of form, even though it was only for half the season."

On 14 May 2013, Cazorla assisted all four of Arsenal's goals in a vital 4–1 win over Wigan Athletic, which relegated their opponents and kept the Gunners in fourth place, with the eventual qualification to the Champions League. Cazorla finished an exceptional first season in England as the only Arsenal player to feature in all 38 league games, and on 31 May 2013, he was named Arsenal's Player of the Season for 2012–13. He ended his first season at Arsenal with 12 goals and 14 assists from 49 appearances. "I think he is a bit of an underrated player in the Premier League," Wenger told Arsenal. "When you think he was not in the [PFA] team of the season picked by the players, it's quite harsh. Personally I would have put him in there."

2013–14 season

Cazorla returned to pre-season training a few weeks later than normal after his involvement in the Confederations Cup for Spain. He started from the bench against Aston Villa but was introduced at half-time after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's injury. He played in every minute of Arsenal's games after that and played an important part in the side's three-straight wins early on in the season. The Spaniard picked up an ankle injury in September before the Sunderland game that kept him out of action for the rest of the month.

He featured in all six of Arsenal's games in November and scored his first goal of the season against Liverpool. The Spaniard, along with Mesut Özil, operated mostly from the flanks, but due to the flexibility of Arsenal's midfield, was able to drift inside and cause problems for opposition defences with his passing ability. "I feel comfortable playing on the left flank," Cazorla said. "Starting on the left is fine as long as I have the freedom to move on the pitch. The main difference is the way you play when the opponent has possession. As soon as we get the ball back, Mesut [Özil] Jack [Wilshere] or myself are free to change positions, however as soon as we give the ball away, we have certain duties to fulfil." On 30 November 2013, Cazorla made his 300th career top-flight league appearance, when he started for Arsenal in a 3–0 win against Cardiff City.

Cazorla started the first three games in December before being rested against Manchester City and Chelsea. The Spaniard returned to the side for the win over West Ham United, when he produced a bright performance and provided the pass for Theo Walcott's equalising goal.

Cazorla produced a string of sparkling performances in January. The Spanish playmaker thumped home Arsenal's first against Tottenham, before scoring an brace in the win at home to Fulham. The goals kept coming for the 29-year-old with further strikes against Coventry City and Southampton. Speaking after the win over Spurs, Cazorla said, "We played really well as a team. Tottenham have some good players but we played at a good level and we just need to continue that now." He was the club's Player of the Month, scoring five goals in six matches.

Cazorla continued his good form in February. The Spaniard provided a pass for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's first goal against Crystal Palace.

Cazorla played completed every minute of Arsenal's seven fixtures in March and committed his long-term future to Arsenal by signing a new contract. The Spaniard produced bright performances in the games against Everton, Tottenham and Manchester City but struggled to make an impact in the disappointing defeats to Stoke City and Chelsea. "I'm very happy at the club, being able to stay here and sign [a new] contract – it's great to get it sorted," Cazorla said. "I like being here, I'm happy and I think that the club can be a big player in competing for the top trophies in years to come. That's important for me. "One of the main reasons for coming here was to get better as a player and joining Arsenal has definitely made me a better player."

Cazorla tucked home the winning penalty in the shootout against Wigan to send Arsenal to the final of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. He also provided assists for three more Arsenal goals in April and showed his versatility throughout the month by playing on both wings and just behind the striker.

The Spaniard also added to his assist tally when his corner was headed home by Giroud against West Brom and scored Arsenal's first goal – a direct free-kick – as the team came from 2–0 down to defeat Hull City 3–2 in the 2014 FA Cup Final, winning his first piece of silverware with the club. He finished the campaign with 7 goals and 47 appearances in all competitions.

2014–15 season

Cazorla began the campaign with another goal at Wembley, slotting home Arsenal's opener against Manchester City in the 2014 FA Community Shield. The Spaniard also set up Aaron Ramsey's goal against Everton with a low cross and was also involved in Alexis Sánchez's strike against Leicester City. The 29-year-old also revealed his personal targets for the season, telling Arsenal, "I hope to equal or beat my goalscoring tally from last year." "That's something every player wants to achieve. Hopefully I'll help the team with many goals because that would be a signal that I can be useful. Apart from that, I'd like to play as much as possible. Luckily the manager has always trusted me in the previous two years. I played a good number of games and hopefully I'll keep doing so." On 26 November, he assisted both Yaya Sanogo and Sánchez in 2–0 win against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

On 28 December, he scored the opening goal in an away match against West Ham in the Premier League. On 4 January, he assisted Sánchez for the second goal in a 2–0 win against Hull in the FA Cup. The Spaniard added to his goal tally on 18 January in a 2–0 away win against holding Premier League champions Manchester City. Cazorla was instrumental in the home game against Aston Villa in the Premier League as he scored from the penalty spot and assisted goals to Theo Walcott and fellow countryman Héctor Bellerín in a 5–0 win. On 30 May 2015, Cazorla was selected to start in the 2015 FA Cup Final, playing the full 90 minutes and being voted man of the match in a 4–0 defeat of Aston Villa at Wembley. He finished the Premier League season with 11 assists, the second-highest in the League behind Chelsea's Cesc Fàbregas, and seven goals.

International career

Cazorla began his international career in the Spanish under-21 team, under Iñaki Sáez. He was called up for play-off games against Italy for the 2004 Summer Olympics. playing the first match which ended 0–1 – coming in on the 77th minute for Javier Arizmendi – but missing the second leg as the nation did not eventually qualify for the competition.

On 17 May 2008, senior side boss Luis Aragonés surprised the Spanish press by including the uncapped Cazorla and Sergio García in his UEFA Euro 2008 squad, over more established wingers such as Joaquín and Albert Riera. Justifying the decision, Aragonés stated, "They are players [Cazorla and García] who are performing very well and had the possibility of coming. I made myself decide between Riera and Cazorla where I considered each player's form."

After making his debut on 31 May 2008 in a 2–1 friendly win over Peru, Cazorla made substitute appearances in the tournament's group stage matches against Russia, Sweden and Greece, also coming from the bench in the quarterfinals against Italy, converting his penalty in the ensuing shootout which Spain won. In the final, he played the last 25 minutes for David Silva, as Spain defeated Germany 1–0 and aided his country in winning their first major tournament in 44 years.

On 19 November 2008, Cazorla scored his first international goal against Chile, a 3–0 friendly win on his club's homeground. He was summoned for the following year's FIFA Confederations Cup, where he made a couple of substitute appearances.

After missing the 2010 FIFA World Cup due to a hernia, Cazorla returned to the national team's setup. On 4 June 2011, during the first half of a friendly against the United States in Foxboro, Massachusetts, he scored twice in a 4–0 win.

Cazorla was selected by Vicente del Bosque for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. He played ten minutes against Republic of Ireland (4–0 group stage win) and six against France (2–0, quarterfinals) for the eventual champions.

Cazorla was named in Spain's 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and was also included in the final list for the tournament. On 19 June, he made his debut in the tournament by coming on for the last 14 minutes in place of Pedro against Chile at the Maracanã in the second group game. Spain lost 2–0 and were eliminated.

On 9 October 2015, he scored twice in a 4–0 win over Luxembourg at the Estadio Las Gaunas in Logroño, a result which sent Spain to Euro 2016.

Personal life

Cazorla has three dogs. One of the dogs is named Zlatan after Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović.

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International

International goals

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International

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