Is Mesut Ozil’s career over?
Suraj Radia
- 12 Jul 2022 16:02 BST
- 3 min read
Mesut Ozil has had his contract at Fenerbahce terminated after being frozen out of the first team for the past four months.
The 33-year-old joined the Turkish side in January 2021 but had not featured for them since March after falling out with interim coach Ismail Kartal over his fitness.
New boss Jorge Jesus had no plans to resurrect Ozil’s career and the club have agreed to terminate his contract, which was due to expire in 2024, by mutual consent.
Questions will be asked whether Ozil has a future in football, having previously left Arsenal due to concerns over his attitude and his declining ability.
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Is this the end for Ozil?
It appears that Ozil may get one more opportunity to show that he is still capable of delivering, with Istanbul Basaksehir said to have a verbal agreement to sign the German.
Basaksehir have ties to president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom Ozil also maintains a close relationship with, and will be playing Europa Conference League football next season.
It marks a dramatic fall from grace for Ozil, having only featured 36 times in 18 months with Fenerbahce and has left fans wondering where it all went wrong.
The former Real Madrid playmaker was considered one of the most technically gifted players of his generation, having excelled for club and country from a young age.
But over time, concerns were raised over his fitness and ability to adapt to a shift in top level football from a traditional ‘number 10’ to a more intensive, pressing forward.
Damn. Ozil got sacked before Arteta. Mad.
— Femi (@FemooAFC) July 11, 2022
When he was fit and engaged, Ozil was still more than capable of contributing on the pitch and was among Fenerbahce’s top scorers last season with eight goals despite his limited minutes.
However, despite being one of the top earners during his time at Arsenal, the club were forced to terminate his contract due to his attitude and it appears nothing had changed for Ozil in Turkey.
Despite a reported €5 million salary and claiming upon signing that he’d wear the shirt of his boyhood side with pride, Ozil finds himself exiled and unwanted yet again.
While Basaksehir may offer him some refuge, history dictates that it may be short lived for Ozil and that his career will always be a case of what could have been instead of what he achieved.
