The Arsenal legend Santi Cazorla was released by the Gunners last month after missing out on two whole seasons of football while his ankle was reconstructed. But he did return to Arsenal for the last couple of months of last season and we all hoped he could get to play a few minutes before he left but he wasn’t quite ready.
But now he has returned to his old club Villarreal and he has been training with the team, and has actually returned to the pitch in a friendly against Hercules on Tuesday, and although it was great to be playing again, he admits he still has a long way to go. He said: ‘People tell me that I have to assess where I am now and where I was 20 months ago and to think about what I have gone through.
‘I am only thinking about getting rid of the pain as soon as possible because I am not enjoying what I am doing.
‘I want to train with my colleagues again and to feel like a footballer.
‘It is hard to express what it feels like to be out on the pitch after so much time.
‘To feel like a footballer again, to feel the love of the people and the reception they gave me.’
‘They have treated me very well from my first day here,’
‘It is like I had never left.
‘The treatment from my teammates and me feeling comfortable is so important for my progression.
‘I cannot really repay or reward what Villarreal have done for me.
‘Not only when I was 18, but because they opened their doors after two years out and gave me their facilities without putting pressure on me.
‘It is something that only this club can give me.’
It remains to be seen whether he can get back to a fitness level without pain so that he could play a full 90 minutes, but he will definitely have the support of all Arsenal fans on his journey. You will be sorely missed Santi….
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