Former Arsenal star Mesut Ozil cemented his place in the history books during his illustrious career, being recognised as one of the most unique and impactful creators of the 21st century.
The World Cup winner made over 400 combined appearances for the Gunners and Real Madrid following a remarkable rise in the Bundesliga with Schalke and Werder Bremen.
The German no.10’s playmaking prowess was underlined in 2016, coming close to breaking the single-season Premier League assist record with an underperforming Arsenal team, notching 19 of his 217 career assists.
Mesut Ozil angered Arsenal – and now seems to have burned further bridges
Despite his abundance of ability, Ozil’s Arsenal career was littered with controversy, from inconsistent form and contract battles to a controversial exit following a difficult final few months at the Emirates Stadium.
The 36-year-old, who is the sixth-most expensive German player of all time, found himself in exile from the North London club and was eventually released on a free transfer, before moving to Turkey to play for Fenerbahce.
Following the playmaker’s public comments made in support of the Uyghur Muslims facing persecution in China, Arsenal distanced themselves from the star, while a refusal to take a pay cut during COVID-19 may have been the final straw for the North Londoners before Ozil’s exit.
Now, former club Werder Bremen have ostracised Ozil from a recent testimonial for former teammate Diego.
Ozil recently displayed a tattoo featuring a grey wolf and a flag with three crescent moons. The symbols have links to far-right groups promoting anti-semitism, far-right extremism and ultra-nationalism, leading Bremen to come to an agreement with Diego not to include his former teammate in the celebrations.
A spokesperson for Werder Bremen said: “We have agreed with Diego not to invite Mesut due to his recent actions, which do not represent the club’s values.”
The tattoo represents Ozil’s recent move into Turkish politics, having joined Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party.
Erdogan has been in power since 2003 and has previous in football. World Cup 2002 star Hakan Sukur is in exile from his homeland, after being charged with insulting the Turkish president in 2016.
