Mesut Ozil rules out international return with Germany following Arsenal exit

FBL-TUR-FENERBAHCE
AFP via Getty Images
Jack Rosser @JackRosser_27 January 2021

Mesut Ozil has ruled out a return to international football with Germany after joining Fenerbache.

Ozil, who won the 2014 World Cup with Germany, retired from international football in 2018.

The midfielder quit amid a political debate in the county over an influx of migrants and after backlash over a photograph taken with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has been accused of human rights abuses, saying he faced "racism and disrespect" over his Turkish ancestry.

The playmaker left Arsenal earlier this month after his contract was terminated by mutual agreement, allowing him to sign a three-and-a-half year deal with Fenerbache.

Despite his return to playing at domestic level after 10 months of being frozen out by the Gunners, Ozil has ruled out a return to the international stage.

"When I go down a path, I never turn back. I wish the German national team success, but I will never again play there," Ozil told reporters at his unveiling in Istanbul.

Fenerbahce Chairman Ali Koc, who was also in attendance, said the club managed to sign Ozil despite the financial woes it has experienced recently, adding the player's flexibility over payments - including a heavy cut from his £350,000-a-week wage in north London - helped the transfer process.

"The honeymoon is over, now the real work begins," Koc said.

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