Santi Cazorla has spoken to Marca about the horrendous impact his ongoing Achilles issues have had, having been out of action since October 2016.
The Spaniard’s ankle became infected, requiring skin grafts, and earlier this year he said he’d had eight separate operations to try and solve the problem.
Now, in an interview with Marca due to be released later today in their paper, the impact has become obvious. The front page photo – which is not for the faint-hearted – shows just how much damage has been done, with skin grafted from his arm onto his ankle to fight the infection.
The front page text says, “The doctor told me that if I could come back to walk around the garden with my son, I should feel satisfied.”
It’s also revealed that he’s lost 8cm from his Achilles tendon and that he nearly lost his foot which, along with everything else, must cast real doubt on his return to first team football.
As we don’t have the full text, and at this point just the bullet-pointed gory details, we don’t yet know if there’s a happy(ish) ending to the article.
However, back in July Cazorla dismissed talk of retirement, and he has been posting period pictures and videos of his training regime as he tries to make his way back. It’s clearly been a horrible injury and all we can do is keep fingers crossed.
We’ll have more from the piece as and when it’s released.
I’d be gutted if he can’t return. One of my favourite arsenal players of all time
Not only yours. All of ours. If one doesn’t love Santi Cazorla, he is mentally ill.
Or she.
Both Equal so that’s..
☹️??
Legend!
I remember when he came to the club that even Wenger wasn’t sure what his best foot was until he started taking penalties.
What a class player with such an infectious attitude. I really hope we see him play again, this would be a terrible way to have to retire.
How on Earth – with some of the finest medical care in the world – did it become infected?
This happens, regardless of medical care, think of it this way they open and close his wound over and over again, would be hard to stop bacteria from coming in.
You may want to study more about infection
one of the most craziest thing in the world
same level as cancer
Yes i’m not a medical practitioner, but I just found it surprising. Anyway, good job his left foot is as good as his right!
The little dance he did after he clipped the ball into Giroud for our goal against City a few seasons ago will always be my fave Santi moment. Seems like a genuinely top lad. This is just sad
@mesuts Ozil
Big time SAD. Bigley…
What an immense loss, and huge hole he has left in the team…
Wishing Santi all the best healing and a miracle to restore him to his unique, skills and joy on the pitch.
We miss both his skills & his smiley happy face on the pitch. Really in many ways it’s been a double loss.
That injury looks horrific, & must be so damn hard to fight through. Wish Santi nothing but the best & truly hope to see him play again. Such an unfortunate loss to the team.
Just hoping to see Alexis, Ozil, Laca and Santi together on the pitch once. Just once..all I ask.
4-2-3-1 Cech Bellerin Kos Monreal Kolasinac Ramsey Santi Jack Ozil Alexis Lacazette. Just want to see this line up once. Just once.
For me, swap Jack for Xhaka
And when that team gets overrun in midfield you would blame the gaffer for not having a DM
I wish Santi a perfect recovery
Even xhakas mom wouldn’t swap jack.
And then Rosicky jogs out of the tunnel and joins in too.
I just hope his mental state is alright. I’d be more than depressed…
He unlike most of Arsenal recruits was NOT injury prone..so I ask, is this casorla situation in any way to do with the medical staff?? Is this problem of chronic injuries to arsenal players a pattern of the Clubs own making or is it just result of pure chance?
By chance, yes. Purely by chance, can’t say. Infection post a surgical procedure is to be expected, sadly.
that skin + tattoo from his arm 🙁
We tend to over-pronounce how great injured players are sometimes, but Santi and Rosicky were two insanely gifted players who are missed in the first team. They just made stuff happen.
And Diaby
Diaby never really had the chance to prove he could play at a level like Rosicky or Cazorla. I can’t place him in the same bracket.
:'(
In all my time as an Arsenal supporter (admittedly it’s only been 7 years!) I haven’t seen a better tight-space-dribbler than Santi. I just wish him well and that he may continue his career.
That looks horrific ? I had Achilles tendinitis as a kid and young teen and it stopped me playing any real sport for 3 years. I hope Santi and Kos can get rid of it somehow – but I doubt it is possible..
What awful luck. To get an infection when receiving the best medical care money can buy.
So so sad. Hope he gets better. I’ve always said and will continue to say Wenger mismanaged him last season. Built the team around him when he knew Santi had achilles issues, plays him in a game against Ludo where he really wasn’t needed and he aggravated his injury. It’d be a miracle if he returned jan…I pray he does.
Somehow, some idiot, always makes it about Wenger. A post op infection is now the manager’s fault. The logic.
The best ambidextrous player in the World…. ever! Name me a player that picks and chooses which foot to take penalties/corners/free kicks and then actually executes them with perfection. He is an Arsenal legend. For me the best player at the club and wish him all the best. No one can say anything to change my mind….. If santi was playing last two seasons, we would have won a league title. Ozil was running riot without having his type of striker to feed. This was because of the sheer quality and quantity of world class passes that Santi used to… Read more »
He would have made a huge difference. Santi plays, the slick passing instantly returns.
Someone I know very well had complications after a very minor foot procedure. Years later, many failed grafts, dozens of infections, they had their lower leg amputated. This can be very serious shit. Good luck to him.
As a medical man I’d be immensely surprised if santi plays any top level football again after this. Particularly of concern is the loss of that proportion of his Achilles. Obviously difficult to say without knowing the full medical details but doesn’t sound good at all.
This brought tears to my eyes. Watching Santi Cazorla in a football match is one of the high points of my life. Sad!!
We miss Santi, no?
That pretty much brought a tear to my eye
“Alexis game” miss him so much
I thought I’d chime in with some of the missing bits now that Marca posted the complete article. Santi is planning a return to the team in the January window when he can be registered. The club graciously renewed his contract and he’s been rehabbing on his own, but off the roster. He’s very upbeat according to the article, although he’s been playing in pain for quite some time since before the surgeries. The most troubling aspect is how bad the post surgical complications got. Apparently he kept returning to play (possibly train? jorurnos can be fuzzy) without the wounds… Read more »
There’s been a handful of Spaniards in the league that have had this quiet, underlying class about them – Silva, Azpilicueta, Mata, and our own Monreal – I classify Santi along with them. Not that I’d wish this injury on anyone, but for this to happen to such a natural talent who radiates class in everything it does, it should make any football-fan sad, let alone Arsenal fans that have nothing but good memories of him. Tactics have changed, but for years a lot of what I thought could be improved upon in midfield were solved with ‘when Santi’s back,… Read more »
Wow Santi I wouldn’t have guessed Santi has such pretty feet.