Mesut Ozil announced his shock retirement from international duty with Germany on Sunday evening, with the player also giving his reasons for his surprise decision.
The Guardian state that the Arsenal midfielder has hanged up his boots with Die Mannschaft, with his last game for his national side being their 2-0 loss to South Korea at the World Cup.
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The player revealed on Twitter why he retired, stating “the treatment I have received from the DFB and many others makes me no longer want to wear the German national team shirt”
III / III pic.twitter.com/c8aTzYOhWU
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) July 22, 2018
Ozil also went on to say that “It is with a heavy heart and after much consideration that because of recent events, I will no longer be playing for Germany”, a sad end to the international career of one of the world’s best playmakers.
The announcement came out of absolutely nowhere, and would’ve definitely taken all German fans by shock.
The midfielder, despite only playing 180 minutes at the World Cup with Germany, still managed to have a big impact, with the midfielder creating 11 chances from open play, an average higher than anyone else at the tournament.
Ozil has been a pivotal part of Germany’s side these past few years, with the Gunners star starting every game during their 2014 World Cup win in Brazil.
It’s a shame to see such a talented star end his international career like this, especially seeing as Ozil almost certainly had at least two more international tournaments in his locker.