Former Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla rolled back the years to inspire Real Oviedo to a dramatic return to La Liga after a 24-year absence.
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The 40-year-old playmaker, who rejoined his boyhood club in 2023, converted a crucial penalty late in the first half of Saturday’s La Liga Hypermotion playoff final second leg. Oviedo trailed 2-0 on aggregate to CD Mirandés, but Cazorla’s strike sparked a comeback.
In the second half, Ilyas Chaira levelled the tie before Francisco Portillo netted a stunning extra-time winner to seal the promotion.
Cazorla also scored the decisive free-kick in the semi-final clash against Almería, securing a 3-2 aggregate win. His leadership and creativity proved vital throughout the playoff campaign.
A product of Oviedo’s youth system, Cazorla was forced to leave the club in 2003 due to financial troubles that saw the senior team relegated to Spain’s third tier. A decade later, he was among the fans and ex-players who bought shares to save the club from collapse.
The former Spanish international, who won two European Championships and made 180 appearances for Arsenal, endured a career-threatening Achilles injury in 2016. He underwent 11 surgeries and was once told he might not walk again, let alone play.
Now, nine years later, he’s led his beloved Oviedo back to Spain’s top flight, completing a fairy-tale return that few could have scripted.
