Ex-Spain and Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla, 40, leads Oviedo back to the top flight in Spain

By Canadian Press on June 22, 2025.

MADRID (AP) — With veteran Santi Cazorla leading the way 20 years after he left the club, Oviedo made it back to the first division of the Spanish league.

The club owned by Mexico’s Grupo Pachuca since 2022 secured its return to the top flight with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Mirandes in the final of the promotion playoffs on Saturday night. After a 1-0 first-leg loss, it won 3-1 in extra time with Cazorla scoring one of the goals.

Cazorla, the former Spain and Arsenal playmaker, converted a 39th-minute penalty for Oviedo, which sealed its promotion for the first time since the 2000-01 season thanks to Francisco Portillo’s goal in extra time after erasing the first-leg deficit with a 2-1 win in regulation.

Oviedo, coached by former Serbian player Veljko Paunovic since March, had been in the second division since 2015-16, and spent a few seasons in the third tier before that.

“At 40 years old I think this is the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced,” Cazorla said. “I’ve been lucky enough to experience great things with Spain and with the clubs that I’ve been with, winning many trophies, but nothing compares to this.”

Oviedo, based in northwestern Spain, is Cazorla’s boyhood club. He rejoined Oviedo in 2023 after playing in Qatar.

“I have a special feeling for this club,” Cazorla said. “I played in this youth academy when I was 9 years old. I grew up here, I have my friends, my family. I’ll be an Oviedo fan all my life. This makes it very special.”

Cazorla, who dealt with serious injuries throughout his career, also thrived with Villarreal in Spain. He was a major contributor for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger from 2012-18.

Grupo Pachuca recently made headlines as two of its clubs in Mexico, Leon and Pachuca, qualified for the Club World Cup but only Pachuca was allowed to compete because of regulations around multi-club ownership.

Mirandes, based in northern Spain, was trying to make it to the first division for the first time.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press