Former Germany international Mesut Ozil has announced his retirement from football at the age of 34.
The talismanic midfielder, who began his football journey at Schalke 04 before moving to Werder Bremen in 2008, enjoyed a successful career that lasted for almost 18 years.
The former Real Madrid and Arsenal star moved to Turkey to join Fenerbahce after spending over seven years with the North London outfit. After just 18 months with the Yellow Canaries, he moved to Istanbul Basaksehir in July 2022 and played his last football game on February 2, lasting only 45 minutes during Basaksehir’s 1-0 loss away to Kayserispor in the Turkish Super Lig.
Ozil revealed the news of his retirement on his official Instagram account, attributing his decision to injuries that have hindered his playing time for a while.
The statement read: “After thoughtful consideration, I’m announcing my immediate retirement from professional football. 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.
“It has been an amazing journey filled with unforgettable moments and emotions. I want to thank my clubs – Schalke, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Fenerbahce and Basaksehir – and the coaches who supported me, plus team-mates who have become friends.
“Special thanks must go to my family members and my closest friends. They have been a part of my journey from day one and have given me so much love and support, through the good times and the bad.
“Thank you to all my fans who have shown me so much love no matter the circumstances and no matter which club I was representing.
“Now I’m looking forward to everything that is in front of me with my beautiful wife, Amine, and my two beautiful daughters, Eda and Ela – but you can be sure that you will hear from me from time to time on my social media channels.”
Regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in the history of the game, Ozil’s vision and chance creation ability kept him at the forefront for a long time. Throughout the course of his illustrious career, he scored over 100 goals and provided over 260 assists for club and country.
The Turkish-German won ten major trophies in his career, which included the FIFA World Cup in 2010, La Liga, and four FA Cup trophies.
