Cazorla makes emotional promise to Arsenal fans

Santi Cazorla

Former Arsenal midfielder, Santi Cazorla feels that he still has unfinished business with the club after missing almost two years of football through injury.

The Spaniard, who missed nearly two years of action through a series of operations and career-threatening injuries, does not “attach any blame” to the Gunners after a distressing end to his Arsenal career, and has vowed to return and say goodbye properly to the fans in north London.

Since October 2016, Cazorla ’s time on the pitch has been halted by an Achilles problem that almost bought his playing career and his ability to walk to an end.

Cazorla missed 668 days of his career because of the injury and after 11 operations, one of which included the development of gangrene, he returned to football with Spanish side, Villarreal.

He told BBC Sport that the injury first stemmed during an international friendly for Spain against Chile in September 2013.

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At the time, he believed that it was just an ankle sprain, but in October 2016 during a Champions League match against Ludogorets Razgrad, he felt that he “just could not carry on”.

His first of 11 surgeries would take place two months later and doctors even told the 33-year-old that he should be “satisfied” just to be able to walk again and not face the prospect of losing his leg.

Fortunately for Cazorla, he has returned to competitive football after almost two years on the treatment table.

After making his competitive return for Villarreal, which came against Real Sociedad in a 2-1 La Liga defeat last month, Cazorla could make his return to the Europa League this evening when face Steven Gerrard’s Rangers; his first competitive game in Europe since that night against Ludogorets that changed his life.

Ahead of the game, he spoke about his injury troubles, how grateful he was to Arsenal for their support to him and how he still has unfinished business with the club.

“It’s not the usual sort of injury that you get in football, where bacteria is working away and eating away eight centimetres of your tendon”, said Cazorla.