Mesut Özil has decided to hang up his boots midway through the season. We look back at the former Real Madrid, Arsenal and Germany midfielder’s career.
After making just seven appearances for Istanbul Basaksehir following his 2022 move from Fenerbahce, injury-stricken Özil believes that now is the right time to call it a day.
The 34-year-old won nine trophies during his club career, including four FA Cups in seven years between 2013-14 and 2019-20 with Arsenal, as well as the 2011-12 La Liga title with Real Madrid.
On top of that, Özil was part of the Germany team that clinched World Cup glory in 2014, going on to make a total of 92 appearances for his country before retiring from international football in 2018.
The gifted midfielder started his professional career at Schalke 04 before moving to Werder Bremen in 2008. After bagging 16 goals and 54 assists in 108 games for Werder, Özil joined Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2010.
During his time at the Bernabeu, Özil established himself as one of the world’s top players, racking up 27 goals and 81 assists in 159 appearances across three seasons while helping Los Blancos win the La Liga title and the Copa del Rey.
In 2013, Özil joined English side Arsenal for a then club record fee of £42.4 million. He went on to register 44 goals and 79 assists in 254 matches for the Gunners, winning four FA Cups along the way.
After falling out with manager Unai Emery, however, the midfielder moved to Fenerbahce in 2021, bagging nine goals and three assists in 37 outings for the Turkish powerhouse.
He remained in Turkey for the latter stages of his career, switching to Istanbul Basaksehir in 2022. But the veteran suffered from multiple injury setbacks, prompting him to call time on his career.
Özil will always be remembered for his phenomenal vision and passing ability, with former Germany teammate Phillip Lahm saying, “His vision is probably the best I have ever seen.”, while Mario Gomez called him “probably the most brilliant football we have or ever had”.
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