Former Arsenal midfielder, Santi Cazorla ends 636-day injury spell to returns to pitch

Former Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla brought 636 days of injury nightmare to an end on Tuesday night as he came off the bench to play for Villarreal in a pre-season game.

The 33-year-old Spain international quit Emirate Stadium in June where he made his last appearance in October 2016 for Gunners in the UEFA Champions League clash against Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets where he suffered a serious Achilles injury, which kept him out of action for 21 months.

Cazorla returned to his boyhood club Villarreal and took a massive step towards resurrecting his football career by playing against Hercules as he came on in the 67th minutes for the Yellow Submarine in their pre-season friendly 1-1 scored draw against Hercules.

He said via his Instagram: "Very happy and happy to get back to doing what I love the most, there is a lot of work ahead of me but this is the first step.

"There is a lot of work ahead of me but it is the first step. Eternally grateful to the people. It has been worth it to get here THANK YOU."
Cazorla bought his six-year spell at Arsenal to an end when his contract expired this summer and he opted to move back to Spain with Villarreal for a third spell with the club that he originally joined as a teenager in 2003.

via Fcnaija