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Mesut Ozil has joined Istanbul Basaksehir after his contract with fellow Turkish side Fenerbahce was terminated by mutual consent.
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Mesut Ozil: Former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Germany midfielder retires
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Mesut Ozil is ready to walk away from football, according to reports.
The former Arsenal playmaker is set to end his career after a spell in Turkey, where he is about to have his second club contract mutually terminated.
Ozil is set to have his contract in Turkey terminated at a second consecutive club
Ozil currently plays for Istanbul Basaksehir, having only joined them in the summer of 2022.
The 34-year-old signed a one-year deal with the club, with the option for an additional year, after agreeing to rip up his contract at Super Lig rivals Fenerbahce.
Ozil had joined Fenerbahce in January 2021 after his contract at Arsenal was also terminated six months early but, after initial fanfare, things turned bitter for the ex-Germany international and he departed after his first full season.
He has only made seven appearances for Basaksehir, but he is now ready to leave that club, too, with the 2014 World Cup winner now ready to hang up his boots.
That’s according to Turkish sports journalist Yakup Cinar, who says Ozil has told his teammates he has decided to walk away from the game.
Ozil played in Basaksehir’s 1-0 defeat to Kayserispor on Thursday, but did not turn up for training on Friday morning, with claims he wants the club to tear up his deal.
“Mesut Ozil’s contract is being terminated – he has decided to quit football,” Cinar, who writes for Turkish sports newspaper Fanatik, posted on Twitter on Friday.
“Ozil, who was in the first 45 minutes of the Kayserispor match yesterday, did not go to Basaksehir training this morning and told his teammates that he decided to quit football.”
These reports come after comments from Ozil’s agent in 2022, where he admitted he could see the midfielder hanging up his boots soon to focus on his eSports teams and interests outside of football.
“He will go more into eSports, play himself and maybe become an eSports athlete,” said Ozil’s representative, Dr Erkut Sogut.
“He’s really good, to be honest, at Fortnite and I think one day I wouldn’t be surprised if he is competing.”
Sogut also claimed in the same interview that Fenebahce would be his last club, before his contract there was terminated, and so it’s of little surprise that he is finally ready to call it a day a year later.
Ozil’s retirement in relative obscurity in Turkey and possible transition into a career as a professional gamer would complete quite a fall from grace.
The midfielder was regarded as one of the finest creative players of his generation as he collected a host of trophies at Real Madrid and Arsenal, as well as the World Cup with Germany.
But he has had the tendency to burn bridges wherever he has gone.
He departed Real after winning a LaLiga title and two Spanish Cups to join the Gunners in 2013, with Ozil lifting four FA Cups in north London.
The midfielder was one of Arsenal’s most popular players, but a bust-up with manager Mikel Arteta saw his contract terminated after months of unrest behind the scenes, and the player shipped out to Turkey.
His move to the Super Lig hasn’t worked out, with two terminated contracts an example of how the once-celebrated star saw out his career on a constant slide.
If the reports are correct, it means Ozil would be hanging up his boots with a record of 645 club appearances, scoring 114 goals and providing 221 assists.
But it’s likely his career will be remembered as much for his multiple fall-outs than his wizardry with the ball at his feet.
TalkSport
The former Arsenal playmaker is set to end his career after a spell in Turkey, where he is about to have his second club contract mutually terminated.
Ozil is set to have his contract in Turkey terminated at a second consecutive club
Ozil currently plays for Istanbul Basaksehir, having only joined them in the summer of 2022.
The 34-year-old signed a one-year deal with the club, with the option for an additional year, after agreeing to rip up his contract at Super Lig rivals Fenerbahce.
Ozil had joined Fenerbahce in January 2021 after his contract at Arsenal was also terminated six months early but, after initial fanfare, things turned bitter for the ex-Germany international and he departed after his first full season.
He has only made seven appearances for Basaksehir, but he is now ready to leave that club, too, with the 2014 World Cup winner now ready to hang up his boots.
That’s according to Turkish sports journalist Yakup Cinar, who says Ozil has told his teammates he has decided to walk away from the game.
Ozil played in Basaksehir’s 1-0 defeat to Kayserispor on Thursday, but did not turn up for training on Friday morning, with claims he wants the club to tear up his deal.
“Mesut Ozil’s contract is being terminated – he has decided to quit football,” Cinar, who writes for Turkish sports newspaper Fanatik, posted on Twitter on Friday.
“Ozil, who was in the first 45 minutes of the Kayserispor match yesterday, did not go to Basaksehir training this morning and told his teammates that he decided to quit football.”
These reports come after comments from Ozil’s agent in 2022, where he admitted he could see the midfielder hanging up his boots soon to focus on his eSports teams and interests outside of football.
“He will go more into eSports, play himself and maybe become an eSports athlete,” said Ozil’s representative, Dr Erkut Sogut.
“He’s really good, to be honest, at Fortnite and I think one day I wouldn’t be surprised if he is competing.”
Sogut also claimed in the same interview that Fenebahce would be his last club, before his contract there was terminated, and so it’s of little surprise that he is finally ready to call it a day a year later.
Ozil’s retirement in relative obscurity in Turkey and possible transition into a career as a professional gamer would complete quite a fall from grace.
The midfielder was regarded as one of the finest creative players of his generation as he collected a host of trophies at Real Madrid and Arsenal, as well as the World Cup with Germany.
But he has had the tendency to burn bridges wherever he has gone.
He departed Real after winning a LaLiga title and two Spanish Cups to join the Gunners in 2013, with Ozil lifting four FA Cups in north London.
The midfielder was one of Arsenal’s most popular players, but a bust-up with manager Mikel Arteta saw his contract terminated after months of unrest behind the scenes, and the player shipped out to Turkey.
His move to the Super Lig hasn’t worked out, with two terminated contracts an example of how the once-celebrated star saw out his career on a constant slide.
If the reports are correct, it means Ozil would be hanging up his boots with a record of 645 club appearances, scoring 114 goals and providing 221 assists.
But it’s likely his career will be remembered as much for his multiple fall-outs than his wizardry with the ball at his feet.
TalkSport
SpiritOf1903
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Could've been a goat if he had the hunger
SalimBhai
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Had temperamental issues. Great skills for a few years though.
sweep_shot
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What temperamental issue? Do you want him to be a pacifist and submissive beta male?
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And there’s the incel. Usually the language of the far right, that would obliterate brown people if it wasn’t for us liberals.
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Former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil has retired from football at the age of 34.
Ozil won nine trophies during his club career including four FA Cups and the Spanish La Liga title in 2012.
He also won 92 caps for Germany and was part of the team that lifted 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."
Ozil began his career at Schalke and Werder Bremen before moving to Real Madrid in the summer of 2010, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
He joined Arsenal for a then club record fee of £42.4m in September 2013, winning back-to-back FA Cups in his first two seasons before being named player of the season in his third, and then winning the cup again in 2017.
The playmaker became the highest-paid player in the club's history in January 2018, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal on about £350,000 a week before tax, but fell out of favour under new Arsenal boss Unai Emery.
After Emery's dismissal in December 2019 Ozil returned to the side under interim boss Freddie Ljungberg and kept his place under Mikel Arteta before the coronavirus pandemic forced a three-month suspension of the top flight in March 2020.
Ozil did not play for the club when football resumed in June, although he would claim a fourth FA Cup winners' medal when the Gunners beat Chelsea in the 2020 final.
He joined Fenerbahce on a free transfer in January 2021 but had his contract cancelled by mutual consent in July 2022 when he joined Istanbul Basaksehir, where injuries limited him to just eight appearances.
Ozil won nine trophies during his club career including four FA Cups and the Spanish La Liga title in 2012.
He also won 92 caps for Germany and was part of the team that lifted 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."
Ozil began his career at Schalke and Werder Bremen before moving to Real Madrid in the summer of 2010, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
He joined Arsenal for a then club record fee of £42.4m in September 2013, winning back-to-back FA Cups in his first two seasons before being named player of the season in his third, and then winning the cup again in 2017.
The playmaker became the highest-paid player in the club's history in January 2018, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal on about £350,000 a week before tax, but fell out of favour under new Arsenal boss Unai Emery.
After Emery's dismissal in December 2019 Ozil returned to the side under interim boss Freddie Ljungberg and kept his place under Mikel Arteta before the coronavirus pandemic forced a three-month suspension of the top flight in March 2020.
Ozil did not play for the club when football resumed in June, although he would claim a fourth FA Cup winners' medal when the Gunners beat Chelsea in the 2020 final.
He joined Fenerbahce on a free transfer in January 2021 but had his contract cancelled by mutual consent in July 2022 when he joined Istanbul Basaksehir, where injuries limited him to just eight appearances.
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That deadline day is perhaps the most legendary in the Emirates era. The Wenger smirk the day before, followed by all hell breaking loose on live TV when he signed. The hype was just insane, has not happened for another Arsenal signing since.
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Mesut Ozil: Former Arsenal and Real Madrid midfielder enters Turkish politics
Former Arsenal and Real Madrid footballer Mesut Ozil has transitioned into politics after joining Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party.
The retired German midfielder, 36, was named on the ruling AK Party's (AKP) Central Decision and Management Board during a party congress on Sunday.
Ozil, who is of Turkish descent, received criticism later in his career due to his relationship with Mr Erdogan.
He retired from the German national team in 2018, five years before his wider retirement from the game, after a photo of him meeting the Turkish president in London caused uproar.
Reinhard Grindel, who was the head of Germany's soccer federation at the time, accused the players of allowing themselves to be "exploited" by Mr Erdogan for political purposes.
Some German politicians questioned Ozil's loyalty to Germany, suggesting he should be removed from the national squad ahead of the World Cup in 2018.
In his post about retiring from international football, Ozil suggested his critics were being racist and that the "picture we took had no political intentions" and "was about me respecting the highest office of my family's country".
Ozil got married to Amine Gulse in Istanbul the following summer, with Mr Erdogan present at the wedding.
Mr Erdogan has presided over Turkey for more than two decades - as prime minister since 2003 and president since 2014.
His critics say he has turned Turkey into an autocracy and eroded people's rights, having introduced a new system in 2018 that abolished the office of the prime minister and concentrated most powers in the hands of the president.
Ozil, who won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, left Arsenal for Turkish side Fenerbahce in 2021 before moving to Istanbul Basaksehir in 2022, where he retired a year later.
A history of sportspeople turning to politics
Ozil is just the latest sportsperson to try his hand at politics.
Another highly decorated footballer who transitioned is former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and AC Milan striker George Weah, who became the president of Liberia in 2018.
The then-51-year-old was the country's first democratically-elected leader since 1944, having run on a mandate to stop corruption and create jobs. He lost the next election to 79-year-old Joseph Boakai last month.
Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan, who was last month given a 14-year jail sentence in a land corruption case, initially rose to prominence as a cricketer in the 1970s.
The controversial 72-year-old captained Pakistan to World Cup glory in 1992, famously telling his teammates to fight like "cornered tigers".
Multiple world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko was elected as the mayor of Ukrainian capital Kyiv in 2014, just a year after hanging up his gloves.
The 53-year-old has remained in the post as the country has defended itself against Russian aggression for three years.
In 2021, boxing legend Manny Pacquiao retired from the sport to focus on his campaign to be president of the Philippines.
The now 46-year-old had less success than the aforementioned sportsmen, conceding the 2022 presidential race to Bongbong Marcos.
Romario, one of the most prolific goalscorers in football history for Brazil, has been a member of the country's Senate since 2015, having ended his lengthy playing career in 2008.
He did so having supposedly scored around 1,000 goals over his 23-year career and won the 1994 World Cup.
SOURCE: https://news.sky.com/story/mesut-oz...turkish-politics-13316157?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
Former Arsenal and Real Madrid footballer Mesut Ozil has transitioned into politics after joining Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party.
The retired German midfielder, 36, was named on the ruling AK Party's (AKP) Central Decision and Management Board during a party congress on Sunday.
Ozil, who is of Turkish descent, received criticism later in his career due to his relationship with Mr Erdogan.
He retired from the German national team in 2018, five years before his wider retirement from the game, after a photo of him meeting the Turkish president in London caused uproar.
Reinhard Grindel, who was the head of Germany's soccer federation at the time, accused the players of allowing themselves to be "exploited" by Mr Erdogan for political purposes.
Some German politicians questioned Ozil's loyalty to Germany, suggesting he should be removed from the national squad ahead of the World Cup in 2018.
In his post about retiring from international football, Ozil suggested his critics were being racist and that the "picture we took had no political intentions" and "was about me respecting the highest office of my family's country".
Ozil got married to Amine Gulse in Istanbul the following summer, with Mr Erdogan present at the wedding.
Mr Erdogan has presided over Turkey for more than two decades - as prime minister since 2003 and president since 2014.
His critics say he has turned Turkey into an autocracy and eroded people's rights, having introduced a new system in 2018 that abolished the office of the prime minister and concentrated most powers in the hands of the president.
Ozil, who won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, left Arsenal for Turkish side Fenerbahce in 2021 before moving to Istanbul Basaksehir in 2022, where he retired a year later.
A history of sportspeople turning to politics
Ozil is just the latest sportsperson to try his hand at politics.
Another highly decorated footballer who transitioned is former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and AC Milan striker George Weah, who became the president of Liberia in 2018.
The then-51-year-old was the country's first democratically-elected leader since 1944, having run on a mandate to stop corruption and create jobs. He lost the next election to 79-year-old Joseph Boakai last month.
Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan, who was last month given a 14-year jail sentence in a land corruption case, initially rose to prominence as a cricketer in the 1970s.
The controversial 72-year-old captained Pakistan to World Cup glory in 1992, famously telling his teammates to fight like "cornered tigers".
Multiple world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko was elected as the mayor of Ukrainian capital Kyiv in 2014, just a year after hanging up his gloves.
The 53-year-old has remained in the post as the country has defended itself against Russian aggression for three years.
In 2021, boxing legend Manny Pacquiao retired from the sport to focus on his campaign to be president of the Philippines.
The now 46-year-old had less success than the aforementioned sportsmen, conceding the 2022 presidential race to Bongbong Marcos.
Romario, one of the most prolific goalscorers in football history for Brazil, has been a member of the country's Senate since 2015, having ended his lengthy playing career in 2008.
He did so having supposedly scored around 1,000 goals over his 23-year career and won the 1994 World Cup.
SOURCE: https://news.sky.com/story/mesut-oz...turkish-politics-13316157?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
SpiritOf1903
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Arsenal did him dirty. Warra guy
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