Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil announced his retirement from football on Wednesday, following an illustrious international career with Germany as well as club stints with Real Madrid and Arsenal.
The 34-year-old was instrumental in Germany’s victory over Brazil in 2014, but he abruptly retired from international duty after the Germans were eliminated from the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The midfielder said, “I’m announcing my immediate retirement from professional football after careful consideration”.
“I’ve had the privilege to be an international footballer for almost 17 years now and I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity”, he added.
Mesut Ozil further said, “Yet, in recent weeks and months, having also experienced certain injuries, it’s become increasingly evident that it’s time to leave the major stage of football”.
Born in the German city of Gelsenkirchen but of Turkish origin, Ozil played on some of the biggest stages in football but also became caught up in world politics and racial charges.
When Germany was eliminated in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, an injured Ozil accused the German people of “racist” attacks.
His club career took off when he moved from the Bundesliga to Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in 2010.
In 2014, Ozil started the championship match as Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro behind a goal from Mario Goetze.
Ozil was nominated for the Ballon d’Or on numerous occasions, but his later career was marred by disagreements over playing time and his close personal friendship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In 2019, Erdogan served as best man at Ozil’s wedding to former Miss Turkey and actress Amine in Istanbul.
However, it was Ozil’s decision to pose with Erdogan on the eve of Turkey’s 2018 presidential election that sparked the most debate during that summer’s World Cup.
Following a failed coup attempt against his government, Erdogan launched a broad political crackdown. Ozil’s picture with the Turkish leader was widely interpreted as his political endorsement of Erdogan in the 2018 election campaign.
He ended his international career before moving to Fenerbahce and most recently Istanbul Basaksehir.
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