Mesut Ozil has ended his time in professional football, retiring at 34.

Mesut Ozil has ended his time in professional football, retiring at 34. The former Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Germany player announced via social media.

Mesut Ozil’s career has seen him feature 254 times for Arsenal and win four FA Cups with them. His time at Real Madrid lasted 159 appearances, during which he achieved success through LaLiga and the Copa del Rey victories. His time on the international stage was no less impressive; playing for Germany 92 times, with 23 goals to his name, he was a part of the illustrious World Cup-winning team in 2014.

Thank you ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Aqr4pB5SI2

— Mesut Özil (@M10) March 22, 2023

Mesut Ozil last meaningful action was on February 2, when he made one of his two starts for Istanbul Basaksehir in their 1-0 loss to Kayserispor in the Turkish Super Lig. The Arsenal legend had joined the club the previous summer after departing Fenerbahce.

Ozil had trouble getting playing time with Basaksehir and experienced fitness issues during his tenure with Fenerbahce before transferring to the Istanbul-based club at the beginning of the season.

Ozil made 37 appearances for Fenerbahce, netting nine times; however, his stay with the club ended abruptly when he was banned during the closing months of the 2021/22 season before finally seeing his contract terminated last year.

It was a tale all too familiar for Ozil, whose latter days at Arsenal played out in an eerily similar fashion. Injury saw him sidelined near the end of 2019/20, and in the opening months of 2020/21, Mikel Arteta decided to omit him from the squad before termination eventually ensued.

I will tell my kids one day how outstanding Prime @M10 was and how priviliged I am to have shared the pitch with one of the most gifted players I’ve ever seen – a person that is also doing a lot of amazing work for less privileged people in the world 🙌🏾 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nGVCMI8ZVQ

— Antonio Rüdiger (@ToniRuediger) March 22, 2023

It was a disappointing end to Ozil’s association with Arsenal, which lasted over seven years. He featured in 254 games and won four FA Cup medals during his stay.

Arsene Wenger recruited Ozil to join Arsenal in 2013, three years after his successful stint at Real Madrid – where he has crowned champions of LaLiga and victors of the Copa del Rey. Before this, the midfielder had featured for Werder Bremen and Schalke in Germany.

Ozil’s international career was also prolific, as he played 92 times by Germany and captained the side to a World Cup victory in 2014 with a 1-0 win over Argentina.

Keep Reading

• Mesut Ozil’s conflicted Arsenal legacy
• Argentina’s victory at the FIFA World Cup will be remembered with the conversion of Lionel Messi’s room in Qatar into a museum.