Özil retires from the German national team
Mesut Özil has announced that he will no longer play for the German national team.
| Mesut Özil. | Photo: Granada, CC-by-SA 4.0 |
Not only has Özil's performances been questioned. The 29-year-old has also been under fire after he and Ilkay Gündogan took a picture with controversial Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan before the tournament in Russia.
In a thorough update on various social media channels, Özil makes it clear that he feels that he has been treated unfairly and with a lack of respect which is why he has made the decision to quit.
"The treatment I have received from the DFB and many others makes me no longer want to wear the German national team shirt. I feel unwanted and think that what I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten," Özil writes and continues:
"It's with a heavy heart and after much consideration that because of recent events, I will no longer be playing for Germany at international level whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect. I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don't."
Özil, 29, made his German international debut in 2009. He made 92 appearances for 'Die Mannschaft' and scored 23 goals.
