A look back at the World Cup-winning midfielder’s time in Spain follows his social media retirement announcement.
Mesut Özil puts his boots away. After more than 600 professional games, the former Real Madrid player and international for the German team announces his retirement. The former player had ties to Istanbul Basaksehir, but he decided to end the contract in the middle of the campaign.
He first gained notoriety during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and as a result, he signed with Real Madrid, where he played for three seasons before moving on to Arsenal. He spent the most time there—about eight years—before deciding to begin his footballing career in Turkey, first with Fenerbahçe and then with the team Istanbul Basaksehir where he eventually decided to retire.
The German announced his retirement from football on social media, and the reference to Real Madrid did not go unnoticed. The former soccer player announced that he was ʜᴀɴɢɪɴɢ his boots next to a text by using a photo of himself with Real Madrid.
“I’ve had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years nơ 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, Wender 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 times and the bad.
….
Özil has played 159 times for Real Madrid, 254 times for Arsenal, and 92 times for Germany at the international level. Over the course of all these, he has 114 goals and more than 200 assists.
His achievements include winning the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, La Liga with Real Madrid in 2012, a Copa del Rey in 2011, four FA Cups, and the same number of Community Shields.
Özil at Real Madrid
From 2010 to 2013, Özil played for Real Madrid, making over 100 appearances and tallying 27 goals. People will remember him, though, not for his shooting prowess, but rather for his refined touch, technique, and elegance—as well as the countless assists. Özil couldn’t control a game from beginning to end; he would appear and disappear like the Thing from The Addams Family, kindly placing the ball where you ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ it when the time was right. All in order for you to succeed.
Oodles of Özil assists
Özil recorded 112 assists in European leagues over ten seasons, from 2008 to 2018, according to Opta data, second only to Lionel Messi. According to Sofascore, he received 81 of those while wearing a Madrid jersey, with Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuan, and Cristiano Ronaldo benefiting from the German’s beautiful passes.
His best season in Spain as a provider was the 2011–12 season, when he managed 19 assists in LaLiga from 35 games. His longest unproductive streak in Spain was just 5 games (on one occasion) in October, during which he failed to play the full 90 minutes in any of them: Nevertheless, Madrid scored 22 goals in those matches and went on to win the LaLiga championship with Özil as a key player.
More goals, more assists and more being brilliant
He also had 19 assists the season before, and he only ever went a maximum of four games in a row (also just once) without scoring a goal or assisting on one. He averaged more than 20 assists per game for the club in 2013, which prompted a news story on the club website.
During this time at the club, which coincided with Jose Mourinho’s administration and was a trying time for many in white, Özil flourished, making the most of Madrid’s counter-attacking style and the enormous gaps that were left behind for the lightning-quick attackers to burst into.
Taking the number 10 and making it good
That’s about as high as praise in football gets: he was arguably Madrid’s last great player to wear the number before Luka Modric took possession of the legendary (and perhaps slightly cursed in recent years) “10” shirt. He originally decided to wear the number 23. Being passed by Modric is undoubtedly a good thing, and it says a lot that Özil can hold his own next to the Croatian for a while.
