Germany Star Player Mesut Özil Announce Retirement
Mesut Özil, a World Cup champion, announced his retirement from football on Wednesday. He has played for Germany at the international level and for Real Madrid and Arsenal at the club level.
The 34-year-old sadly left the international stage after the Germans were eliminated from the 2018 tournament in Russia. He had assisted Germany to victory in Brazil in 2014.
Social media posted the following: “Hi everyone, I’m announcing my immediate retirement from professional football after giving it some thought.
“I’ve had the honor of playing professional football for close to 17 years, and I’m tremendously grateful for the chance. But it has been increasingly obvious over the past few weeks and months—along with some injuries—that it is time to step away from football’s premier stage.
“It has been an incredible journey with of emotions and events I will never forget. I would want to express my gratitude to my teams, Schalke 04, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Arsenal FC, Fenerbahce, and Basaksehir, as well as the coaches who helped me and the teammates who have grown to be friends.”
Born in the German city of Gelsenkirchen but of Turkish origin, Mesut Özil played on some of the biggest stages in football but also became caught up in world politics and racial charges.
Injured German player Mesut Özil accused the German people of “racist” attacks after Germany was eliminated from the 2018 World Cup in the group stage.
His club career took off when his 2010 transfer from the Bundesliga to Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid team was made possible by his nimble passing and vision.
He quickly took the assist lead in La Liga and contributed to the Spanish club’s 32nd league triumph in 2012.
His high-profile transfer to Arsenal in 2013 enabled the London team to finally win the FA Cup the following season.
In 2014, Mesut Özil began the championship match as Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro behind a goal by Mario Goetze.
“Special appreciation must go to my family and my closest friends,” he concluded. They have followed my journey with me from the beginning and have shown me so much love and support, both in the good times and the bad.
“I want to thank all of my fans for their support, regardless of the situation or the team I was representing.
“For now, I’m excited about everything that lies ahead of me with my lovely wife, Amine, and my two lovely kids, Eda and Ela, but you can be sure you’ll occasionally hear from me on my social media accounts.
“See you soon, Mesut Özil!”
Ozil was frequently included on Ballon d’Or shortlists, but his close friendship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and disagreements over playing time plagued him in his final years.
Erdogan served as best man at Ozil’s 2019 marriage to actress and former Miss Turkey Amine in Istanbul.
But during that summer’s World Cup, there was a lot of controversy over Ozil’s decision to pose with Erdogan on the eve of Turkey’s 2018 presidential election.
At that time, Erdogan was launching a broad political purge in response to an aborted coup attempt against his administration.
Many people took Mesut Özil‘s photo with Erdogan as a political support of Erdogan during the 2018 election season.
Before joining Fenerbahce and most recently Istanbul Basaksehir, he concluded his career as an international player.
