SANTI CAZORLA appears to have picked up a new good luck charm – grabbing the thighs of his Spain pals during the pre-match picture.
The Villarreal playmaker, 34, is clearly thrilled to back on international duty having recovered from what appeared to be a career-ending Achilles injury.
Cazorla has recently been seen grabbing the legs of his team-mates pre-gameCredit: Getty
Cazorla grabbed the legs of his team-mates before games against Malta and RomaniaCredit: Getty
In both matches of the most-recent break with Spain, Cazorla can be seen posing for the traditional team snap while grabbing the two nearest players’ legs.
When lining up ahead of the game with Malta, Cazorla clutched the legs of Jesus Navas and Juan Bernat.
The midfielder then went on to score what was his first international goal in four years, before he was given a standing ovation.
And against Romania it was Dani Carvajal and Jose Luis Gaya was were on the receiving end of Cazorla’s touch.
Spain went on to win both matches – 7-0 vs Malta and 5-0 vs Romania – but it wasn’t enough for national bosses, who sacked Robert Moreno to accommodate the returning Luis Enrique.
Cazorla has been utterly unstoppable this season, scoring five goals and laying on four assists for Villarreal.
He was released by Arsenal last summer having last played in October 2016 after a spate of nasty injuries.
But the Spanish playmaker has not ruled out returning to the Gunners one day – revealing he never got a “proper goodbye”.
Cazorla recently revealed: “When you are at a big club like Arsenal, sometimes you don’t realise what it means to be there until you are gone.
“I never got to say a proper goodbye. It was the biggest team I played for in my career and I miss everything about Arsenal.
“I don’t know what my legacy is there, you would have to ask the fans, but I want to say thank you to them all.
“I would like to play at the Emirates one last time before I retire.
“I don’t know what I will do afterwards – maybe a coach, maybe a sporting director – but I would love to go back to Arsenal.
“I lived in London for six years. My son loved it there. In the future, we will see if I have the possibility.”
Santi Cazorla was presented as a Villarreal player in an unusual way, appearing thanks to a magician’s trick
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
