Real Oviedo are back in La Liga for the first time in 24 years after a brutal journey to the depths of football despair and back. At the time, Santi Cazorla was just 16 when Los Carbayones descended, and at the age of 40, is now the face of their ascent back to the top of Spanish football.

Oviedo have struggled significantly, suffering relegation to the third tier and then to the fourth in the same summer of 2003 due to financial sanctions. That put the club on the brink of extinction for the first time, before they returned to the third tier in 2005. Again in 2012, Oviedo were on the verge of collapse though, and had to fundraise and sell shares on the open market to increase their capital and avoid dissolution.

After finally returning to professional football in 2015, Cazorla, at the age of 38, returned to the club following a spell in Qatar.

Long-awaited promotion back to La Liga

Legally, players must be paid by their clubs, otherwise Cazorla would have done so for free. As it were, he returned two years ago on the minimum Segunda wage, on the condition that 10% of his shirt sales would go to the Oviedo academy. Last summer, it looked as if his dream of seeing Oviedo in La Liga could come true, but they were thwarted by Espanyol in the play-off final.

On Saturday though, Oviedo got over the line, with Cazorla beginning a comeback from 2-0 on aggregate against Mirandes to win promotion in extra time, following a goal from Ilyas Chaira and a wonderful strike from Francisco Portillo. Scenes of jubilation ensued, with Oviedo fans invading the Nuevo Carlos Tartiere pitch, and Cazorla acapella leading them in song ‘We will be back.’

Oviedo to pay homage to Cazorla

Cazorla is, understandably, a hero in the city. He called the play-off final the biggest game of his life, despite having won the Euros twice with Spain. Oviedo President Martin Pelaez told Cadena Cope that they are ‘working on it’ when it comes to a contract extension to keep Cazorla at the club. Meanwhile the Mayor of Oviedo, Alfredo Canteli, will seek to eternalise Cazorla in the city.

The square and fountain where Oviedo fans tend to celebrate major victories, Plaza America, will be renamed ‘Plaza Santi Cazorla’, in light of his contributions to the club.