Santi Cazorla is approaching. It is the familiar thump of a leather football upon a solid floor that gives it away. The noise draws nearer, a door swings open and in bounces a little man with a big smile.

Cazorla reaches for handshakes, drops the ball, catches it on top of his left — weaker — foot and keeps it there for a second before flicking it up into the air a few more times, catching it, tucking it firmly under an arm and sitting down.

He is 28 years old but it’s clear this has long been his preferred method of entrance. Back home on the streets of Lugo de Llanera he was the boy with the ball, reared on TV footage of Michael Laudrup.

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Maestro: Arsenal's Santi Cazorla speaks in an exclusive interview with Sportsmail

Now he is the homespun star they toast in the town’s cider bars.

‘I learned my football in the streets, playing at school, playing football 24/7,’ he said. ‘Sometimes we’d have the ball confiscated and make one out of rolled-up socks or anything we could get our hands on. We’d get punished because we spent too many hours playing football instead of studying like we should have.

‘I used to watch Barcelona, the Dream Team, and Laudrup was the one I liked. He was wonderful to watch.

‘I was always able to use both feet. It was a gift. Training helps but I’ve been able to do it since I was little. I don’t pay attention to which foot I’m developing, I just train normally and use both feet. I’d say I’m right-footed. If I take a penalty, I prefer my right foot.’

Double figures: Cazorla has scored 11 Premier League goals since his arrival in the summer

These are the qualities which have captivated supporters during an eventful first season at Arsenal.

As an individual, Cazorla makes the game look effortless, even if the Gunners as a team have not always done the same, and he knows precisely how many goals he has scored in the Barclays Premier League. ‘It’s 11,’ he said. ‘My previous record was nine with Malaga. It’s something I’m always working on and this year I’ve been able to improve it. Hopefully there will be more before the end of the season. Every game I will try. Maybe I can reach 15.

‘Compared to Spain, the football here is less tactical, but more fun to watch and play. There’s too much technique in Spain and they are held back by it. This makes the match more boring. There’s a better pace in England.

‘There’s also more space, especially for footballers like me, and more time to think. Teams always want to attack and score goals in England. In Spain they are locked down by tactics. And the atmosphere here is just amazing.’

It will certainly be hot on Sunday when Arsenal make the short trip to Tottenham for a derby which could define the season for both clubs. Win and Arsenal go within a point of their neighbours. Lose and they slip seven points behind.

‘This is a very important match for us with regard to the Champions League,’ said Cazorla, a 4-1 winner on his only other trip to White Hart Lane for a pre-season friendly with Villarreal. ‘If we lose it would be a difference of seven points, too big a gap.

‘It’s true we’ve been inconsistent. We didn’t make it through in the Capital One Cup or the FA Cup but our aim is to be in the Champions League and hopefully we’ll improve through the rest of the season. A win at Tottenham would invigorate the whole team. We’re two points away from Chelsea but if we win this we will be one away from Tottenham.’

Enjoying life: Cazorla says life in London is very different to Spain but he's loving it

Cazorla is a miner’s son from Asturias, a region of northern Spain having quite an influence on this season’s Premier League. Juan Mata and Michu hail from there and are products of the Real Oviedo youth academy. The trio have all bought shares in their old club to help its fight to survive.

‘Football in Asturias is not in its best moment, but it’s always produced good footballers for other teams in Spain and around the world,’ added Cazorla.

An area traditionally mined for its coal is now mined for its football talent. His bonds with home are strong, even though he left as a teenager to pursue his career at Villarreal.

Father Jose Manuel died from a heart attack six years ago at 48, but his mother Lolli and brother Nando live in Llanera.

Honest: Cazorla admitted Arsenal have been inconsistent this season

‘It’s important for everyone to know where they come from,’ said Cazorla. ‘Even if you’re a footballer, you have the same rights as anyone else and it shouldn’t change you in any way.

‘My dad used to be a miner —David Villa’s dad, too — and many of my friends’ dads. It’s a very respectable job and a difficult one. I don’t think I could have done it. I always liked computers and maybe I’d have gone down that path if I hadn’t been a footballer.’

Like Real Oviedo, the mining industry has been in better health.

Asturian miners went on a series of strikes last year, marching on Madrid in protest at Government plans to close pits.

Favourite: Cazorla used to watch Dane Michael Laudrup play for the Barcelona 'Dream Team'

ARSENE RULES OK Arsene Wenger will contest his 40th north London derby on Sunday and has tasted defeat only four times in more than 16 years at Arsenal. Wenger has won 18 and drawn 17 but there has been a change in the trend recently, especially at White Hart Lane. The Gunners have not won any of their past four League visits to Tottenham. It will be Andre Villas-Boas’s second derby, having lost 5-2 at the Emirates in November. He also lost 5-3 at home to Arsenal when Chelsea manager in October 2011. Advertisement

‘They want to close down some mines and that will be bad for Asturias, where they’ve always depended on the coal industry,’ said Cazorla. ‘Things are not too nice there at the moment, but hopefully they won’t close. Lots of people would lose their jobs.’

His transition since his transfer from Malaga last summer has been smooth. Cazorla has produced some delightful moments, but it has been a far more enjoyable experience than his first encounter with Arsenal. That was the semi-final of the Champions League in April 2006 and he was a young Villarreal player ruled out through injury. He watched from the bench in El Madrigal as the Yellow Submarine forced the visitors back in a bid to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.

When they were awarded a penalty in the 90th minute, it seemed Juan Roman Riquelme would send the tie into extra-time but Jens Lehmann saved and Arsenal went through to the final against Barcelona in Paris.

Painful memory: Jens Lehmann saved Juan Roman Riquelme's late penalty as Arsenal beat Villarreal in the Champions League semi-finals in 2006

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‘It was a difficult moment for the team,’ said Cazorla. ‘It was one step from the final and we were sad because we knew that was an opportunity we might not have again. The team went back from there and were relegated last year.

‘But Riquelme is one of the best players in the world. He is on the level with Ronaldinho and Zinedine Zidane. He’s one of the best I’ve ever played with.

‘I’m not at the same level. I was lucky to spend two years with Riquelme. I used to learn on a daily basis by training and playing with him. He’s a player who could really make a difference. I will never forget having the chance to play with a footballer like that.’

Spain seem to have cornered the market in highly technical midfielders, comfortable with the ball on either boot, capable of drifting past defenders and with the vision to see a pass and deliver it in the right place at the right time.

Praise: Cazorla described team-mate Jack Wilshere as 'an amazing player'

‘A generation of these players have been born in Spain where there’s a tendency to focus more on technique,’ said Cazorla, who was surprised to find Jack Wilshere is an Englishman with similar qualities in the Arsenal ranks. ‘He’s an amazing player. He had been injured when I first arrived and I didn’t know much about him but everyone spoke wonders about him. Once you saw him playing, you understood why he was so highly regarded with so many expectations on him.

‘He’s young with a great future. An essential member of Arsenal and the Premier League. He’s definitely going to be one of the top players in the world. He’s more like a Spanish footballer with his touch on the ball and his technique. It’s not only about getting the ball, but he knows how to use it, how to dodge players. I think he’s like David Silva: left-footed and knows how to go forward and link the play.’

Another young British talent has caught Cazorla’s attention and he hopes Arsenal keep Gareth Bale at bay on Sunday.

Test: The Spaniard will come up against Gareth Bale in the north London derby on Sunday

‘Bale is an incredible footballer and sure to be one of the main points of the game,’ said Cazorla. ‘Even though they have many good footballers he stands out as the star. He’s the one with the biggest input. It’s possible that he’s the best in England at the moment.

‘He reminds me of Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s similar in the way he runs and the way he kicks the ball and in how powerful he is.

‘You can see they are both athletes, with a similar physique. Everyone can see. Stopping him will be hard but we will try. If we do, that will help us.’