Mesut Özil ends his career. That doesn’t come as a surprise; for many who have not followed his path lately, it is perhaps even more astonishing that he is still playing or has played at all. Most recently he did so in Turkey at Basaksehir. Although he only made four appearances this season, back pain had repeatedly slowed him down.
Now he has said goodbye to his fans via social media and there were many of them. Özil has more than 26 million followers on Twitter alone. “I’ve had the privilege of being a professional soccer player for almost 17 years and I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity. In the last few weeks and months, during which I also had some injuries, it became clearer and clearer that it was time to leave the big stage,” Özil wrote in English.
At his best, Özil was a brilliant handlebar in attacking midfield, who could play passes with millimeter precision and also made dangerous shots with his left foot again and again. He was discovered at FC Schalke 04, his star rose at Werder Bremen and he probably had his most formative years at Real Madrid and then in London at Arsenal.
Between 2009 and 2018 he played 92 times for Germany and was a central part of the world champion team in 2014. Nevertheless, opinions always differed when it came to his style of play. Some considered him and his abilities grossly overestimated, others saw him as the difference player.
Özil played 92 times for Germany and became world champion in 2014
What Özil always needed was the unconditional trust of his coaches. In his best moments, he repaid that with tremendous presence and power. Otherwise, he could quickly disappear into the depths of space.
In Germany, the general public will remember Özil more with his Erdogan photo than with his sporting performances. The proximity to the Turkish president has brought the now 34-year-old a lot of hostility in his native Germany. Some justified, others bordering on racism. At times, the impression could arise that Özil was not well advised. In the end he turned away from Germany in resentment – and vice versa.
In 2021 he finally moved to Turkey – with amazing parallels to his previous stations. Because initially he was also hailed as a savior at Fenerbahce, but later fell out of favor. The fact that he then ended his career at Erdogan’s favorite club closes a circle in a way.
What remains is a bit of melancholy, because Mesut Özil could have been more than just a big name in German football. He had what it takes to be great. Not having made it this far must primarily be attributed to Özil himself.
Jorg Leopold Mesut Özil always thinks first of his goal to make it 2-0 in the 2014 World Cup round of 16 against Algeria and the jubilation that followed.
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
