Former Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla, 40, has signed a new one-year contract with boyhood club Real Oviedo as they prepare to return to the Spanish top flight.

Cazorla who returned to the club 2023, played a key role last season as Oviedo won promotion to La Liga for the first time in 24 years.

He scored the decisive goal in the La Liga 2 play-off semi-final tie against Almeria, coming off the bench to convert a free-kick and secure a 3-2 aggregate victory.

The former Spain international then scored a penalty in the second leg of the final as they beat CD Mirandes in extra time.

“With this renewal, Santi Cazorla, a symbol and emblem of Oviedo, proves that dreams, when pursued with the heart, come true,” the Asturian club said.

“Real Oviedo secures the leadership of a footballer who embodies the Club’s values like few others, both on and off the field.”

Cazorla who turns 41 in December, scored five goals and registered five assists in 35 games last season.

A two-time European champion with Spain, the midfielder spent six years at Arsenal and made 180 appearances before leaving in 2018.

He suffered an Achilles injury in October 2016, going on to have 11 operations to cure the problem.

One of the operations led to gangrene with doctors telling Cazorla he should be satisfied to walk again, never mind play.