Mesut Özil, the Arsenal and Real Madrid midfielder who won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 34. Despite featuring for 45 minutes in his current team’s 1-0 defeat to Kayserispor on Thursday, Özil didn’t train with the rest of the squad on Friday, according to the journalist Yakup Cınar. That was right before he let everyone know about his decision to bring an end to his career. And now the best online bookmakers will have to make changes on their odds.
His past career
Once viewed as one of the best players in the world in his position, Özil won the Spanish La Liga with Real Madrid in 2012 and four FA Cup titles with Arsenal between 2014 and 2020. He was also part of the Germany team at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 World Cups and scored goals 23 times in 92 appearances for his country.
“I’ve had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years now and I feel incredible 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.” He wrote on social media.
He initiated his professional career in Germany with Schalke before joining Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen. After two years there, Real Madrid snapped him up, Özil spent three years at Real Madrid and eight with Arsenal. His final years at Arsenal were full of tension and controversy, resulting in a free transfer to Fenerbahce. His time in Turkey didn’t go well, however, as he was ultimately suspended by the club and left to join, İstanbul Başakşehir.
He developed a reputation as a superb passer and playmaker, making at least 20 assists in each of his three seasons with Madrid. At Arsenal, his 19 assists in the Premier League during the 2015/16 season is one less from the league record, that’s held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
After his arrival in North London for a then club-record fee of $54.8 million, Özil scored 44 goals in 254 appearances for Arsenal but was taken out of Mikel Arteta’s squad in his final season, even though he was reportedly being one of the team’s highest-paid players.
Selected as Germany’s player of the year five times, his career with the Germany national team was also a rollercoaster. Özil played in all the country’s World Cup games in 2010 and 2014, scored 23 times in his 96 appearances for Die Mannschaft and played an important role in their 2014 World Cup victory, but he played his final game for the national team at the 2018 World Cup before announcing his international retirement, accusing the German Football Association of a lack of respect.
In Turkey
Başakşehir, his current team, are set to end the attacking midfielder’s contract, allowing him to end his career right away. Ozil has played just four times in Turkey’s Super Lig this year having suffered with injury all season long. He couldn’t win more titles in the final two years of his career in Turkey and had limited playing minutes with Başakşehir due to injury problems.
In a lengthy statement explaining the decision, Özil, who is of Turkish origins, said he felt “German when we win” but like “an immigrant when we lose,” with the German Football Federation saying it was “regrettable that Mesut Özil felt that he had not been sufficiently protected as a target of racist slogans.” The end of his career as a professional doesn’t mean the end of your journey on the betting world. There are other matches and players to support if you register for a betting account.
