Mesut Ozil born on 15 October 1988, in Gelsenkirchen, German announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 34 citing injuries on Wednesday.
In his successful international career Ozil made appearance for total 605 times and scored 98 goals.
After making only 37 appearances for Fenerbahce, his summer move to Basaksehir FK was his final career change before he announced his retirement.
Ozil last appearance was on February 2 2023, where he was substituted at half time against Kayserispor in Turkish Super Lig.
Mesut Ozil on his Instagram he wrote:
“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 04, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Arsenal FC, Fenerbahce, 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 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 .”https://www.instagram.com/m10_official/
Ozil was key player for Germany in winning their 2014 World Cup and helped them reach semi-finals of UEFA European Championships in 2016. He won German player of the year award five times and many other titles. Ozil earned 92 caps for Germany.