Image via Phil Noble/Reuters
Mesut Ozil, a former midfielder for Germany, Real Madrid, and Arsenal, has retired from football at the age of 34.
During his time with his club, Ozil won nine awards, including four FA Cups and the 2012 La Liga championship in Spain.
Moreover, he played for Germany on 92 matches and was a member of the squad that won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
“It has been an amazing journey filled with unforgettable moments and emotions,” Ozil said in a statement on social media.
“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.”
Before joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2010, Ozil started his career with Schalke and Werder Bremen, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup.
He joined Arsenal in September 2013 for a then-club-record sum of £42.4 million. He won back-to-back FA Cups in each of his first two seasons, was voted player of the year in his third, and then won the cup once more in 2017.
The playmaker signed a three-and-a-half-year contract in January 2018 for around £350,000 a week before taxes, becoming the highest-paid player in club history, but he lost favor under new Arsenal manager Unai Emery.
After Emery was fired in December 2019, Ozil made a comeback under interim manager Freddie Ljungberg and continued to play under permanent manager Mikel Arteta until the coronavirus epidemic forced the top flight to be suspended for three months in March 2020.
When the season resumed in June, Ozil did not suit up for the team, but when the Gunners defeated Chelsea in the FA Cup final in 2020, he won his fourth trophy.
In January 2021, he joined Fenerbahce on a free transfer, but his contract was mutually terminated in July 2022 when he joined Istanbul Basaksehir, where injuries prevented him from making more than eight appearances.