Santi Cazorla hit some high points during his time with Arsenal, but that didn't stop his career from being blighted with injuries.
Speaking to the Guardian, the former Gunners midfielder has spoken about the injury that helped end his career at the London club.
"I'd talk to my family and say: 'It's over. Tomorrow, I'll tell Juancar, the physio: I can't go on, pal,'" he said.
"I have to pinch myself when I think: 'I'm playing Saturday.' I appreciate it all, every moment.
"I understand players thinking it's a pain to be stuck in a hotel the night before but I've been in hotels alone, hospitals too. I've fought for this."
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Cazorla has a fresh opportunity with Villarreal, but he hasn't forgotten about the damage that he did to his body that eventually led to the end of his spell with the Gunners.
One of the injuries he suffered - out of the many - was a cracked bone in his ankle (ouch, that has to hurt). That's not to mention a knee ligament injury he also had, but despite all of that, he kept on playing for the club in the pain.
"I'd work on the bike and a couple of stitches would come out," he said.
"Because it was an open wound, bacteria can enter, so another bug gets in. At night, a yellow liquid would come out.
"Every time they sewed me up, it split again; more liquid. They did a skin graft but they didn't see what was inside - the bacteria eating away, eating away. They never found out which bacteria it was.
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"They'd said to me: 'Don't worry about playing football, concentrate on regaining a normal life, being able to play with your son or go for a stroll.'"
It paints a pretty rough picture, no?
Do you think Cazorla will be able to bounce back from his injuries?
Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Santi Cazorla, Villarreal, Arsenal
