Former Real Madrid and Arsenal midfielder, Mesut Ozil on Wednesday (March 22) retired from professional football at the age of 34. Ozil was playing in Turkey with Fenerbahce over the two years after his contract termination with Arsenal. He started his career with Schalke in the Bundesliga (German league) and Weder Bremen. From there, he went on to become a superstar footballer for Real Madrid which made him one of the biggest names in the world of football.


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"After thoughtful consideration, I'm announced my immediate retirement from professional football," he wrote in a post on Twitter.


"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, its become more and more clear that its time to leave the big stage of football." (UEFA Euro Qualifiers: Cristiano Ronaldo Set To Break New Record With New Portugal Coach Roberto Martinez)



He signed for Real Madrid under the management of Jose Mourinho with whom he won the La Liga and Spanish Super Cup as well.


Ozil won the Spanish league title with Real Madrid in 2012 and the FA Cup four times with Arsenal. His international career ended abruptly in 2018 when he quit the Germany squad citing "racism and disrespect."


That followed anti-Turkish comments from German politicians and abuse from some fans toward ?zil, who has Turkish heritage, amid criticism of his decision to pose for a picture with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup.


Ozil started his career in Germany with hometown club Schalke before a good spell at Werder Bremen earned him a spot on the German national team. Standout performances for Germany at the 2010 World Cup were followed by a move to Madrid. He then had an eight-year stint with Arsenal.


Ozil moved Turkish club Fenerbahce in 2021 after his relationship with Arsenal broke down. He was left out of the Arsenal squad for months before his departure following a rift with manager Mikel Arteta. The club also distanced itself from Ozil for posting his support for Muslims in the Xinjiang province of China, comments which led to an Arsenal game being pulled from Chinese television. (With PTI inputs)