Former Arsenal and Spain midfielder Cazorla retires at 41

July 2 (Reuters) - Former Arsenal and Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla announced his retirement from football on Thursday at the age of 41.

"I never stopped trying. And in the end, I came back. Not to close a chapter but to feel it all again, to remember why I started," he said on X.

"And now, when the lights go down, when the boots are hung up and the noise fades into silence, everything falls into place. Because the ending wasn't just anywhere; it was at home"

• Cazorla called time on his 23-year playing career after spending his final season with his boyhood club Real Oviedo, having helped them earn promotion to LaLiga the previous year and end a 24-year absence from Spain's top flight.

• Cazorla earned 81 caps for Spain and was part of the squads that won the European Championship in 2008 and 2012, but missed their triumphant 2010 World Cup campaign through injury.

• Cazorla made 180 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal in a six-year spell in North London, scoring 29 goals after joining from Malaga in 2012.

• He helped Arsenal win back-to-back FA Cups in 2014 and 2015 before injuries forced his departure from the Premier League club in 2018.