In a week full of exhilarating European football, spare a thought for Santi Cazorla who incredibly scored his first goal since remarkably recovering from an debilitating Achilles injury.
The journey that the Spaniard has had to endure is absolutely astonishing, ruling him out for the last part of his career at Arsenal and leaving him unable to play football for two years. Cazorla had managed close to 200 appearances for the North London side, contributing 29 goals and 45 assists.
His last goal for the Gunners came against Southampton in the Premier League via a penalty at the Emirates in September 2016, right at the very start of the new English season.
Whilst the injury classification is of course nothing new to even the casual football fan who have seen it inflict many a player, the extent to which the 33-year-old’s condition developed was nothing short of horrific.
Contracting gangrene during routine surgery, the forward had the worry thrust upon him of the real risk of losing his leg.
Now finding his way back into first-team football with Villareal, speaking to UEFA.com Cazorla talked about the injury that brought his career to a grinding halt,
"Well it all began with a very standard injury.
"It was in the tendon next to the achilles. The skin had deteriorated, and they told me that was the biggest issue.
"We saw that the skin didn't regenerate, the stitches didn't work, and the skin wasn't closing together.
"They performed a skin graft from my arm to my ankle.
"Then more bad luck kicked in, when it became infected during the operation.
"I was having surgery every month, because the skin wasn't healing and it was opened up and closed several times.
"By the time I came to see the doctor in Vitoria, it was too late, as the bacteria had already eaten ten centimetres of the tendon.
"There were times when I couldn't even get up and kick the ball around with my son.
"There were times when I felt like throwing the towel in.
"It was mainly after spending so many hours and days alone in the hotel room.
"It's when you're alone that you reflect on things and wonder whether everything that you're doing is really worth it.”
Multiple surgeries and a sickening skin graft later, that has left a previous forearm tattoo of his daughter’s name now on his ankle, the return of Cazorla to first team football is ultimately heart-warming.
Whilst he is still in the midst of recovery, scoring his first goal back is a real moral boost.
Cazorla eventually called time on his Arsenal career this summer and went back to La Liga this summer to where he started his career at Villareal.
His goal this week in the dying minutes of their Europa League clash with Spartak Moscow in a thrilling 3-3 draw, saw his side pick up a point in Group G.
Well done Santi, and best of luck.
