Arsenal midfielder's career likely over after ninth surgery

30 nov 2017

It appears the soccer world isn’t big enough to support two oft-injured players whose careers have been derailed by multiple surgeries. The day after Giuseppe Rossi – he of the four torn ACLs – announced his comeback with Serie A outfit Genoa, Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla’s career appears to be coming to an end.

The midfielder is currently recovering from complications resulting from his eighth ankle surgery; an infection so severe he nearly lost his foot altogether, which required a skin graft on the point of incision. Now, per his social media account, he’s set to go under the knife for the ninth time on his right ankle.

With his deal expiring this summer, and no end to his injury woes in sight, the 32-year-old may be forced to come to the sad and untimely decision of retiring. The Spaniard’s, once-gifted, right ankle has turned into a nightmare beyond his, and Arsenal’s, worst imaginations.