Mesut Ozil, a former midfielder for Germany, Real Madrid, and Arsenal, has retired from football at the age of 34.
During his club career, Ozil won nine trophies, including four FA Cups and the Spanish La Liga title in 2012. He also got 92 caps for Germany and was a part of the team that won the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
Ozil released a statement on social media, which read, "It has been an amazing journey filled with unforgettable moments and emotions."
"I've had the opportunity to play professional football for almost 17 years, and I'm extremely grateful for it.
"However, having also suffered some injuries, it's become increasingly clear that it's time to leave the big stage of football in recent weeks and months."
Before moving to Real Madrid in the summer of 2010, where he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup, Ozil began his career at Schalke and Werder Bremen.
In September 2013, he signed with Arsenal for a record-setting £42.4 million. He won the FA Cup twice in his first two seasons, was named player of the year in his third, and then won it again in 2017.
After signing a three-and-a-half-year contract worth approximately £350,000 per week before taxes in January 2018, the playmaker fell out of favor under Unai Emery, the new Arsenal manager.
Ozil returned to the team under interim manager Freddie Ljungberg in December 2019 and remained under Mikel Arteta before the coronavirus pandemic necessitated a three-month suspension from the Premier League in March 2020.
When football resumed in June, Ozil did not play for the club. However, he would win his fourth FA Cup when Arsenal defeated Chelsea in the 2020 final.
In January 2021, he signed a free transfer agreement with Fenerbahce. In July 2022, he signed a contract with Istanbul Basaksehir, where injuries limited him to just eight appearances. Ozil made the decision to represent the nation of his birth rather than Germany or Turkey at the international level.
In June 2009, he made his senior team debut at age 20 and was named man of the match as Germany Under-21s defeated England in the European U21 Championship final.
Ozil was Germany's player of the year five times and played for the team that won the World Cup in 2014 and reached the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
However, in 2018, he announced his retirement from international football, citing the "racism and disrespect" he experienced in Germany due to his Turkish heritage following criticism for a photograph of him with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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