Mesut Ozil, a former midfielder for Germany, Real Madrid, and Arsenal, has left the game at the age of 34. During his time with his club, Ozil won nine awards, including four FA Cups and the 2012 La Liga championship in Spain. Additionally, he played for Germany on 92 occasions and was a member of the Brazilian team that won the 2014 World Cup. Before joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2010, Ozil began his career at Schalke and Werder Bremen, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup. He joined Arsenal in September 2013 for a then-club-record fee of £42.4 million. He won back-to-back FA Cups in his first two seasons, was named player of the season in his third, and then won the cup once more in 2017. The playmaker signed a three-and-a-half-year contract in January 2018 for about £350,000 a week before taxes, becoming the highest-paid player in club history. However, he lost favor under new Arsenal manager Unai Emery.
When the season resumed in June, Ozil did not suit up for the team, but when the Gunners defeated Chelsea in the FA Cup final in 2020, he would win his fourth trophy. When he joined Istanbul Basaksehir in July 2022 after joining Fenerbahce on a free transfer in January 2021, his contract was mutually terminated. Due to injuries, he was only able to make eight appearances. Ozil returned to the squad after Emery was fired in December 2019 under interim manager Freddie Ljungberg and continued to play under new permanent manager Mikel Arteta until the top flight was forced to be suspended for three months in March 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ozil had the option of representing his native England over Turkey or Germany at the international level. After making his senior team debut at the age of 20 earlier that year, he was named player of the match as Germany Under-21s defeated England in the European U21 Championship final in June 2009. Ozil won the Germany Player of the Year award five times and was a member of the team that advanced to the 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012 semifinals, and the 2014 World Cup final. But after receiving criticism for posing for a photo with Recep Tay Erdogan, the Turkish president, he announced his retirement from international football in 2018, citing the "racism and disrespect" he experienced there because of his Turkish ancestry.
"It has been an amazing journey filled with unforgettable moments and emotions," Ozil said in a statement on social media. "I've had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years now and I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity. "But in recent weeks and months, having also suffered some injuries, it's become more and more clear that it's time to leave the big stage of football."
