Mesut Özil is ending his footballing career with immediate effect, the 2014 World Cup winner for Germany said on Wednesday.
"After thoughtful consideration, I'm announcing my immediate retirement from professional football," the 34-year-old midfielder said in a statement posted on his social media platforms.
"I've had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years 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."
Özil, who is of Turkish descent, last played at Istanbul club Basaksehir. It was only last month that his management dismissed reports he would retire and that he would finish the season.
Özil started his top flight career at Schalke in his German birth city of Gelsenkirchen in 2006. After two years at Werder Bremen he left in 2010 for Real Madrid, to be followed by eight years at Arsenal 2013-2021 before playing in Turkey at Fenerbahce and since last summer at Basaksehir.
The 2014 World Cup winner retired from the Germany team with 92 caps after a group stage exit at the 2018 tournament in Russia, after coming under fire for his performances, and over a pre-tournament photo showing him together with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
This led to a fierce backlash and Özil accused the German Football Federation (DFB) of having not protected him well enough against racist and insulting comments, while also accusing the DFB of racism.
