Mesut zil, a former midfielder for Real Madrid and Arsenal, announces his retirement from the game.
The 34-year-old German World Cup champion and midfielder for Arsenal and Real Madrid, Mesut zil, has announced his retirement from the game of football.
Zil, who was once regarded as one of the finest players in the world at his position, won the La Liga championship with Real Madrid in 2012 and four FA Cup championships with Arsenal between 2014 and 2020.
In 92 appearances for his nation, he scored 23 goals, and he was a member of the Germany team at the 2010, 2014, and 2018 World Cups.
I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to play professional football, as I have had the privilege to do for almost 17 years, Zil said on social media.
But in recent weeks and months, after experiencing several injuries as well, it has become increasingly obvious that it is time to leave the major stage of football.
After beginning his football career with Schalke and Werder Bremen in Germany, zil played for Real Madrid for three years and Arsenal for eight before relocating to Turkey to play for Fenerbahçe and, most recently, Istanbul Başakşehir.
With at least 20 assists in each of his three seasons with Madrid, he earned a reputation as a brilliant distributor and playmaker. At Arsenal, Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne both hold the league record most assists with 19 during the 2015–16 Premier League season.
He scored 44 goals in 254 appearances for Arsenal after moving to North London for a then-club-record sum of $54.8 million, but Mikel Arteta’s squad refused to include him in his last campaign even though he was reputedly one of the team’s highest-paid players.
In the final two seasons of his Turkish career, he was unable to add to his collection of championships, and owing to injury issues, he only saw limited action with Başakşehir.
Zil, who was five times named Germany’s player of the year, participated in all of his nation’s World Cup games in 2010 and 2014, helping Germany defeat Argentina 1-0 in the championship game.
Before announcing his international retirement and blaming racism and disrespect, he played his final game for the national team at the 2018 World Cup.
The German Football Federation expressed regret that Mesut zil felt that he had not been sufficiently protected as the target of racist slurs in a lengthy statement explaining the decision. zil, who is of Turkish descent, said in the statement that he felt “German when we win” but like “an immigrant when we lose.”
Zil expressed his gratitude for support from his family, friends, and fans on social media on Wednesday.
You can be sure that you will occasionally hear from me on my social media channels, but for the time being, he said, “I’m looking forward to everything that is in front of me with my beautiful wife, Amine, and my two beautiful kids, Eda and Ela.”