Ozil has no Germany regrets

Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil has backed his decision to quit international football after the 2018 World Cup. The 31-year-old opted to call time on his Germany career following Die Mannschaft’s woeful showing in Russia when they failed to make the knockout stage after finishing bottom of Group F on three points, with defeat in the group to Mexico and South Korea.
That tournament saw the end of a few key players, with Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng all jettisoned from the squad to bring through younger talent.
Ozil made the decision himself after receiving racist abuse after being photographed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the World Cup.
The Arsenal playmaker, who has barely featured for the Gunners this term, won 92 caps for Germany and could have earned many more, but has no regrets over the choice he made. “With time to reflect, I know it was the right decision,” he told The Athletic. “It was a very difficult period for me as I played nine years for Germany and was one of their most successful players.”
Ozil’s future in north London is now uncertain after Unai Emery’s decision to keep him on the sidelines and it may be that he departs for a new challenge in the summer.
He will certainly not be making an international comeback after confessing that lack of support from the Germany authorities during a difficult time left him feeling isolated. “I was receiving racist abuse – even from politicians and public figures – yet nobody from the national team came out at that time and tried to stop it,” he added.