Ex-Arsenal Man Santi Cazorla Reveals He Still Feels Pain In His Achilles Despite Villarreal Return

By The Editor
on 19th July 2018

Santi Cazorla is back playing football again following a nightmare run of injuries…

Respect! ?So good to hear @19SCazorla in such good spirits after coming back from so many injuries! We wish you all the best Santi!

[?: @Eng_Villarreal @VillarrealCF] pic.twitter.com/dpJWv41Ocu

— COPA90 (@COPA90) July 19, 2018

Former Arsenal star Santi Cazorla is back playing football again following a horrendous run of injuries and while he’s made a couple of appearances for his beloved Villarreal, the Spaniard admitted that he still feels pain in his achilles, Copa90 reports.

Cazorla was initially diagnosed with a minor achilles knock after departing a Champions League game against Ludogarets in October 2016 – it would be the last time we saw him play in an Arsenal shirt.

The Spaniard returned to full training after years of rehab and undergoing 10 surgeries to cure an achilles problem which subsequently led to an infection.

Cazorla revealed that a specialist told him he was lucky to still have his leg and that running around in the garden with his kids is all he could hope for in terms of a comeback.

However, determined to defeat all odds, Cazorla returned to full training at the back-end of last season and while he didn’t feature in a game, many believed that he would be given the chance to stay on.

We didn’t foresee the huge upheaval that was on the horizon and following the arrival of Unai Emery, there was no room for sympathy and Cazorla’s contract wasn’t renewed.

Having said that, Cazorla spoke on his delight at being able to feel part of a dressing room against and playing games for Villarreal, though he did admit he still as pain in his ankle.

“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,” Cazorla told Villarreal TV.

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“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.”