Santi Cazorla embarked on a journey towards his birthplace last summer. He returned to Oviedo, the team he left in 2003 to sign for Villarreal’s reserve team. Santi Cazorla’s career has seen success, a lot of suffering with injuries and a love for football that explains this decision that almost a year later can be translated into an event with historic overtones. This is Oviedo’s return to the First Division. The first obstacle will be Eibar, a magnificent rival, third in the regular League that visits this Oviedo that snuck into the semi-final for promotion after being sixth in the Second Division. This attempt to reconquer Oviedo begins at the Carlos Tartiere (6:30 p.m., Movistar). In the other semifinal, Sporting and Espanyol collide.
“We are expectant because Oviedo finally got into a semi-final to go up to First Division. I don’t even want to imagine what a final with Sporting would be like,” says Oli, Oviedo striker between 1992 and 1997, with 20 goals in Primera with the Oviedo team in the 96-97 season. “Hopefully Santi can recover,” adds Oli, who is well versed in current events in Oviedo, which he shares with his love for Betis. “My dream is to have Oviedo in the First Division with Betis,” he concludes. Oviedo went up to Primera for the last time in 1988 after eliminating Mallorca in a heart-stopping promotion. He went down in 2001 in the Second Division and even went through the pit of the Third Division. An administrative relegation in 2003 after relegations to Second B just the summer that Cazorla began his journey to Villarreal. Oviedo did not have the money to process his file.
Cazorla will not be in the first leg of the final due to muscle problems. He hopes to be there for the return, in Eibar, next Wednesday. Time stops when it comes to talking about Santi Cazorla. His mere presence will boost his companions. An Oviedo where veterans like Borja Bastón and young people like Abel Bretones or Viti come together. Everyone feels the leadership of a 39-year-old footballer who won two European Championships with Spain (2008 and 2012) and two English Cups with Arsenal among other trophies. “I have been lucky enough to win big trophies abroad, but the responsibility and feeling I feel with Oviedo is different from any other place I have been,” Cazorla clarified in a LaLiga talk this week. “It is a special moment for me personally. I had set the goal of finishing at home after 20 years, and what better way than finishing in First Division. I hope it can be achieved, there are four great teams in this race,” he added, sad for not being available in this first leg of the semifinal.
Cazorla has played 25 games this season between the League and the Cup. He has accumulated 21 seasons as a professional footballer. Just a year ago, at the tribute to Joaquín held at the Benito Villamarín, Cazorla amazed his teammates and the public with his great form. And that was a friendly one. Seeing his good form, he decided to undertake the last trip of his career. He charges 91,000 euros and allocates 10% of the sale of his shirts to the quarry.
Oviedo returns to a promotion phase to First Division after nine consecutive seasons in Second Division, where in some of them they were on the verge of fighting for promotion. This season, despite losing on the last day against Eibar itself, they achieved sixth place. Statistics affirm that, many times, it is the sixth placed team that ends up moving up. This is what Oviedo is looking for. And resurrect the spirit of a team that went on to compete in the UEFA Cup in the 91-92 season after finishing sixth in the previous campaign with Javier Irureta on the bench. With names like that of the scorer Carlos, who became international, the motorin Berto, the tireless captain of that great Oviedo, the center back Sañudo or the unforgettable trio of Croatians made up of Jerkan, Gracan and Jankovic.
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