Santi Cazorla has confirmed he will call time on his playing career at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
Cazorla, who now turns out for boyhood club Real Oviedo, has made 569 appearances throughout his club career, scoring 107 goals and registering 124 assists.
The 40-year-old helped Oviedo return to LaLiga last season, converting a penalty in a 3-1 extra-time win in the second leg of the Segunda Division play-off final.
Oviedo will now compete in the Spanish top flight for the first time in 24 years, kickstarting their campaign away to Villarreal, a club where Cazorla made his name.
Across three different spells with Villarreal, Cazorla appeared 320 times across all competitions, netting 55 goals and providing 52 assists.
Earlier last month, Cazorla put pen to paper on a new one-year deal with Oviedo, but he said the injuries sustained throughout his career have now caught up with him.
“This will be my last season. I have to listen to my body, and it’s already asking me,” said Cazorla.
“When I was a kid, I always dreamed of playing at the club, and I’m here now – lucky and able to play with my club in the top division.
“I love to play football, but as with everything, you have to know when it is the end. I have a lot of problems and pains every day.”
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