- Former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Germany national player Mesut Ozil has retired from international football
- Ozil had one of the most celebrated football careers and has retired at the age of 34
- SportsLeo looks at his career in numbers which includes a Premier League record and a World Cup trophy
Mesut Ozil‘s retirement ends the career of one of contemporary football’s great traditional number tens.
Due to ongoing injury issues, the former Arsenal and Real Madrid playmaker revealed on social media that he was terminating his contract with Turkish club Istanbul Basaksehir.
Former Germany player Ozil won the World Cup in 2014 and previously played for Schalke, Werder Bremen, and Fenerbahce.
Ozil earned a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de Espana after joining Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2010 following his outstanding performances in that year’s World Cup.
Ozil flourished as one of the Premier League’s best creative forces after joining Arsenal in 2013, winning the FA Cup four times during his time in north London.
READ: The ten German players who have played for Real Madrid
Injury hampered Ozil’s stints at Fenerbahce and Basaksehir, and he has only appeared four times this season, but the 34-year-old leaves an unforgettable legacy.
Courtesy of Stats Perform, SportsLeo examines some of the important figures in Ozil’s memorable career.
Ozil, the best creator to play
The 2015-16 season was undoubtedly Ozil’s best in an Arsenal shirt, with 146 Premier League chances created, the most of any player in a single season in the competition.
Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City came close to breaking that mark in the 2019-20 season, creating 136 scoring chances for teammates.
Ozil scored six league goals in 2015-16 but assisted on another 19. That was the only time he had double-digit assists in a Premier League season while at Arsenal, something he did in each of his three seasons in La Liga.
Mesut Ozil the assist machine
Mesut Ozil was one of the best creators, holding a Premier League record for most goal chances created in a single season. | PHOTO: CNN |
Ozil is one of only four Arsenal players to have recorded more than 50 Premier League assists.
Denis Bergkamp (94), Thierry Henry (74) and Cesc Fabregas (70) have all tallied more assists than him. (54).
Ozil’s prolific record as a producer predates his relocation to north London.
Between 2008 and 2018, he had 122 assists, which were only surpassed by Lionel Messi. (133).
Ozil had at least 12 assists in five straight seasons beginning in 2008. He assisted 25 goals in two seasons with Werder Bremen before joining Real Madrid.
His numbers in the Spanish capital would only increase, as he assisted 47 goals between 2010 and 2013.
Ozil was also a good goalscorer
While Ozil’s creative abilities drew attention, he also had a knack for netting goals as well as setting them up.
His 33 Premier League goals in an Arsenal jersey are the second-highest total of any German in the Premier League, trailing only City’s Ilkay Gundogan. (39). With 29, 29, and 25 goals, Uwe Rosler, Jurgen Klinsmann, and Leroy Sane round out the top five.
Ozil’s finest Premier League season was the 2016-17 season, when he scored eight goals.
Mesut Ozil the Galactico
Mesut Ozil earned his name as a member of a young German team that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2010.
Ozil has appeared in three World Cup finals and is one of only five players (along with Messi, Diego Maradona, Wolfgang Overath, and former Germany teammate Thomas Muller) to have created at least ten chances from open play in three separate World Cups (since 1966).
After his performance in South Africa, Madrid signed him, and he went on to make 159 matches for Los Blancos. Only three German players have appeared in more games for the club: Toni Kroos (402), Uli Stielike (308), and Sami Khedira. (161).
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