The prodigal son returns to his nest and realizes his dream! 40-year-old Cassorla returns to La Liga, he is the real king of Oviedo

After 24 years of long ups and downs in the Spanish League Two and the Spanish League One, Real Oviedo Club finally stood out in the final of the upgrade play-off this season and successfully returned to the Spanish Football League One. This upgraded medal belongs to the entire team, but 40-year-old veteran Santi Caszorla is undoubtedly the core and soul behind it, writing a moving football fairy tale. The story of

Casolla and Oviedo began in childhood. The boy playing football on the "Roman Trail" in Gianella dreams of playing for his hometown team. Now, Cazorla, who is in his forties and is also watching his children play on that street, has turned his dream into reality with his own hands and become the number one hero in the team's upgrade.

Cazorla's career trajectory is legendary: he started in Spain, traveled to North London, and returned to his motherland. He then played for three years in Alsade in Qatar, and finally returned to his roots in the summer of 2023 and joined Oviedo. Despite the youth training, Cazorla never played for Oviedo's first team before being signed by Villarreal in 2003. It was helpless to leave at that time. After being relegated from La Liga in 2001, Oviedo fell into the fourth-tier league in 2003 due to a fiscal crisis. In order for the club I loved to get a transfer fee to overcome the difficulties, the young Cazorla reluctantly left, but he was always worried.

In 2023, the wanderer returned as a hero. Real Oviedo is not a small club, but it is still rare to join a star like Cazorla with prominent resumes at Carlos Taltiere Stadium. Money is not his motivation. Casorla, who was in his twilight career, admitted that if he had a high salary, he had previously earned a generous reward in Qatar. In Oviedo, his annual salary is only 91,000 euros. "I am willing to play football for free, but the rules do not allow it." Cazorla once said.

The real challenge lies in the body. The serious injuries suffered during Arsenal have caused him to miss the club and national team games for 619 days (122 games). Wenger, the then coach, called it "the most serious injury seen in his career." After 12 surgeries, Cazorla's Achilles tendon was almost destroyed, with an astonishing length of 10 cm, and even a skin tattooed with his daughter's name was required for transplantation. Being able to return to the professional arena is a medical miracle. In the summer of 2013, the 38-year-old Cazorla made her first-team debut in Oviedo and only played for one minute in the bench against Real Valladolid. In the 2023-24 season, the team reached the final of the upgrade play-offs, but eventually lost to Espanyol 1-2 with a total score. After losing the final, Casorla, who holds many championship honors, faces a choice: retire or fight for another year. He chose the latter without hesitation. In the 2024-25 season, Cazorla and the team improved together, and Oviedo ended with the third place in the league, only 2 points away from the direct upgrade zone. They met Almeria in the semifinals of the play-offs. In the first leg away game, Oviedo was in danger. At the critical moment, coach Banovic replaced Cazorla and the situation changed immediately. With only 3 minutes of the substitute, Cazorla stood in front of the key free kick. After his iconic focused expression, he achieved it overnight, and the ball accurately penetrated into the dead corner of the lower left, showing his master's style. In the end, the team successfully advanced to the finals. In the first leg of the final, Oviedo started badly. In the opening 3 minutes, Milandes winger Alberto Renner scored a header. Cazorla, who was absent due to a knee injury, could only watch the game from the bench. In the 16th minute of the second leg, Milandes scored another goal. In a critical moment, Cazorla, who played with an injury, took over the game. He personally scored a penalty kick to stabilize the morale of the army. Ilias Jaira then scored and tied the total score to 2-2, and the game entered overtime. Another veteran, Francisco Portil lived up to expectations and scored the winning goal! Oviedo fans flocked to the stadium to celebrate. Cazorla was carried high by former teammate and current team doctor Diego Selvero, becoming the most dazzling focus of the game. After the game, the whole city fell into a carnival and fans rushed to the streets to pay tribute to their heroes. Casorla looked at the crowds of Galicia Avenue and said emotionally: "It's crazy, unbelievable. The best moment in my life happened at the age of 40. I was lucky to have won the championship and trophy. But I grew up drinking Oviedo's breasts, and the feeling here is completely different and unique." This sentence wrote the perfect footnote for this legendary journey home.