Al Sadd confirm signing of Villarreal playmaker Santi Cazorla

In a move that many fans of La Liga were fearing this summer, mercurial playmaker Santi Cazorla has left Villarreal to join Qatari club Al Sadd.

The news was confirmed on Monday with Cazorla stating, in quotes carried by Marca, that it was ‘time to step aside’ and he believed that he could no longer continue playing at the level required in the Spanish top flight.

The move was driven by the presence of former Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez, who is now boss of the Qatari club and is familiar with Cazorla’s talents.

The former Arsenal star enjoyed a remarkable campaign for the Yellow Submarine and he was one of the standout players in La Liga, scoring 15 goals across all domestic competitions and showing no drop off in form despite celebrating his 35th birthday last December.

Cazorla previously sat out over 20 months of action after two serious ankle injuries, with his playing days feared to be over.

In August 2018, the former Gunners playmaker made his first appearance in 636 days last month following his last outing in October 2016, after a serious of injury problems.

Cazorla has previously played for seven seasons across two spells at the Yellow Submarine whilst also representing Recreativo de Huelva and Malaga.

The Spaniard has had to undergo eight operations while he previously explained that doctors had told him he would be lucky to walk again.

He has even been involved in the international setup with Spain in recent times due to his fine form but now it appears unlikely he will represent La Roja again due to this move.

Tags Santi Cazorla
La Liga - Club News