A Crack Retires

 After spending the last few months inactive despite being part of the Istanbul Basaksehir squad, Mesut Ozil has finally decided to hang up his boots. At the age of 34, the Turkish-German playmaker has called time on his career. After playing for Schalke 04, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid or Arsenal, the World Cup winner with Germany in 2016 will not play soccer professionally again.

Through an Instagram post, Özil has given the reasons for his retirement: “Hello everyone. After careful consideration, I am announcing my immediate retirement from professional soccer. I have had the privilege of being a professional footballer for almost 17 years and feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity. But in recent weeks and months, having also suffered a number of injuries, it has become increasingly clear to me that the time has come for me to leave the big stage of soccer.

It has been an incredible journey, full of unforgettable moments and emotions. I want to thank my clubs — Schalke 04, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Arsenal FC, Fenerbahçe, Basaksehir — and the coaches who have supported me, as well as the teammates who have become friends. I especially want to thank my family and my closest friends. They have been part of my journey from day one and have given me so much love and support, in good times and bad.

Thank you to all my fans who have shown me so much love no matter the circumstances and no matter what club I was representing. I am now looking forward to everything ahead of me with my beautiful wife, Amine, and my two beautiful daughters, Eda and Ela, but you can be sure you will hear from me from time to time through my social media.