It has been years since Arsenal fans got to witness their favourite magician, Santi Cazorla on the pitch but the Spaniard came back to put on a show against Real Madrid last night.
Cazorla went through numerous surgeries on his ankle during his final 3 years at Emirates, missing 668 days of football. At one point it even became prevalent that the attacking midfielder might never return to playing football again.
After picking himself back up and making an illustrious return to the La Liga, Cazorla has not only rejuvenated his career but is also showing us glimpses of the footballing genius he still possesses. He started on the left side of the pitch for Villareal last night and curled in an impressive shot past Thibaut Courtois just minutes from the opening whistle. Samuel Chukwueze worked his way through the Madrid midfield and rolled a ball towards Cazorla who slammed it into the back the net on the first touch.
The Yellow Submarines conceded two goals in quick successions in the next 20 minutes but Cazorla came back to knock in the header in between Courtois’ legs late into the game, making it his first headed goal in Spain.
Admittedly the Spaniard might never be his old self with the injuries he will forever carry and his age catching up to him but we can still get to witness some of his best bits on the football pitch – the immaculate control to drift in and out of tight spaces, leaving defenders wheezy over which foot he’ll take the ball on with, sliding in those cheeky passes through the entire opposition defence and those delicate freekicks 30 yards away from the goal line.
It is an absolute treat to see the magician still doing what he does best even if it is 1000 miles away from the Emirates.
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