Santiago Cazorla González

Santi Cazorla is a 41-year-old Spanish central midfielder currently playing for Oviedo in La Liga, making him one of the oldest outfield players in the top flight of European football. The Asturian-born playmaker has long been celebrated for his technical brilliance and two-footedness, qualities that defined a career spanning Arsenal, Villarreal, and the Spanish national team, and his return to his home region with Oviedo has carried a sentimental weight that resonates well beyond the club's fanbase.

In the 2025/26 season, Cazorla has made 21 appearances but has been used sparingly, accumulating just 640 minutes across those outings. His recent matches underline his reduced role: he has come off the bench for as few as five minutes in some fixtures and has not started any of his last five games. Across that run, Oviedo have had mixed results, picking up a point at Espanyol and a home win over Valencia, but also suffering a 3-0 defeat away at Celta Vigo. Cazorla has contributed one assist in the league this season and carries a match rating of 6.73, reflecting solid if unspectacular cameo contributions rather than a dominant influence on games.

His role at Oviedo is clearly that of an experienced squad option and a symbol of the club's ambitions since their return to La Liga. At 41, managing his minutes carefully makes sense, and the coaching staff appear to use him in low-risk situations where his composure and passing range can help see out results or unlock compact defences in short bursts. There is no recent transfer activity of note, and at this stage of his career an international recall to Spain is not a realistic prospect, though his longevity at this level remains a story in itself.

In Oviedo's next fixture, it will be worth observing whether Cazorla earns any minutes from the bench and how the team's midfield structure holds up without him, given that his presence, however brief, tends to slow the tempo and improve ball retention in tight moments.