A little over a year ago, midway through a dismal Turkish Super League season, former Arsenal player Mesut Ozil decided to put up his boots and end his illustrious career.

By then, the prolific inventor had moved on to Istanbul Basaksehir after a highly publicized split with Arsenal, where he had played for several successful seasons.

“I am excited for everything that lies ahead of me, including spending time with my two gorgeous daughters, Eda and Ela, and my lovely wife, Amine.”The World Cup victor declared in a statement that he was retiring. However, you may be certain that I will occasionally communicate with you on my social media platforms.

In the thirteen months that have passed, Ozil has undoubtedly lived up to his promise; his admirers have witnessed an incredible physique makeover, heartwarming family photos, political activism, and much more.

Here, Mail Sport looks into the activities of the assist king following his departure from the game.

 

Former Arsenal and Real Madrid star has been making the most of his newfound free time since retiring in 2023

 

He won back-to-back FA Cups in his first two seasons at Arsenal, above pictured with Bacary Sagna after winning the 2014 final against Hull City at Wembley Stadium

The former football star’s social media profiles frequently feature images of the Ozil family. Istanbul is home to the contented foursome, where the former midfield player concluded his career.

There’s only one place to start, which is probably the gym, where Ozil spends the majority of his days these days.

Throughout his career, the midfielder was frequently the thinnest player on the field, but that frame has since given way to one that is much heavier.

Ozil’s personal coach, Alper Aksac, released a new image in March that shows the amazing growth he has achieved.

The picture was captioned “Nothing better” by Aksac. For the best one ever,’ along with an emoji of a weightlifter.

The week before, after Ozil uploaded a video of himself utilizing combat ropes and then dragging a weighted sled up and down a gym, Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his support for his former Real Madrid teammate.

‘Always stay ready, then you don’t need to get ready,’ the 35-year-old captioned the video. She and Ronaldo played together at Los Blancos from 2010 to 2013.

‘Sand timer’ and ‘100’ emojis were also added by him to the post, leading some fans to speculate that he might be thinking about playing football again.

Ronaldo wrote, “Bro not bad,” and praised his strenuous workout, complete with a winking emoji.

However, not everyone is pleased with his abrupt transformation.

Ozil’s former teammate for Germany, Mario Gomez, asserted that he was trying to emulate a “little Ronaldo” and hinted that his abrupt change in behavior might be a sign of more serious problems that are sometimes connected to retirement.

Because I have gone through swings in both directions and am aware that extremes frequently result in nothing positive, I am someone who believes in the happy medium. Gomez revealed last week on the Phrasenmaher show.

I’m not sure what his goal is in doing this. It’s not really my style and seems a little crude, but that’s not the goal.

“You naturally search for something that fulfills you when you leave a career where you were praised and encouraged for years.”

It appears that Mesut discovered this in the gym. He may have thought, “Now I have time to become a little Cristiano,” after playing alongside Ronaldo as well.

 

 

Ozil has undergone a dramatic body transformation since retiring from football last year

 

The ex-Real Madrid star was lauded for his workouts by his old team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo

 

Ozil posted a picture of his amazing physical change on Instagram (right), showing off his muscular build in contrast to his slender Arsenal frame (left in 2013).

Given that Ozil just made public a new interest, it seems that rigorous exercise is only a small portion of his post-career plans. Earlier this month, the former Germany international shared a photo of himself on Instagram, showing off his horseback riding skills.

“If the horse is not a Turk, it is a burden,” he wrote as the picture’s caption. A few days later, his wife Amine joined him; she grinned when she was shown in the saddle.

Ozil expressed his passion for his past time in an interview with Marca, stating: “Riding horses is one of my newest hobbies.” It’s incredibly entertaining, and I really like it (laughs).

It’s possible that the dangers involved in the pastime prevented him from riding when he was a player and under contract with a team. Ozil looks to be enjoying his free time now that he is not bound by such obligations.

Ozil revealed his other sources of entertainment outside riding.

You can never spend enough time with your family, he told the Spanish publication. I relish every moment. In addition, I have certain commercial interests such as real estate, and of course, I enjoy gaming and going to the gym nearly every day.

After apparently starting to date two years earlier, the former Gunner married Amine Gulse in 2019, demonstrating how vital family time is to him.Amine, who was born and raised in Sweden, moved to Turkey and went on to win the title of Miss Turkey once.

Prior to the birth of her sister Ela in September 2022, the couple welcomed Eda into the world in March 2020. Ozil uses Instagram to share photos of his family whenever possible, and he used the platform to commemorate his wife’s 30th birthday on Tuesday.

“Happy birthday to the world’s most stunning, devoted, and caring mother and wife.” He composed. “Thank you for supporting me at all times!” Best wishes and stay well! My love, I adore you.

 

Ozil has recently taken up riding, which he revealed has been a great source of enjoyment

 

Ozil has spoken of his delight to be able to spend more time with his young family now he is retired

 

Speaking with Ozil and his spouse Amine Gulse during their wedding ceremony held in Istanbul across the Bosporus, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

As his playing career came to an end, Ozil developed a reputation for vocally supporting topics he was passionate about on a global scale.He denounced China’s treatment of the Uighurs in Xinjiang, a province in northwest China where it is said that over a million have been detained in camps in recent years, in December 2019.

He caused a political whirlwind earlier that year when he was photographed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

When he and Amine, who both have Turkish ancestry, exchanged vows and Erdogan played a significant part in the event, he intensified his greeting.

Since then, he has advocated for the liberation of Palestine and a halt to hostilities over the conflict in Gaza.

“Grateful for humankind.” In October, he wrote. I’m wishing for peace. On both sides of the conflict, innocent people—and especially innocent children—are dying. It is quite depressing. Pray for the end of the war!

An observant Muslim, Ozil celebrated the start of Ramadan in March by sharing a photo of himself traveling to Mecca in 2016.

In other places, he has maintained his passion for video games, as he disclosed in a recent interview, having established his own eSports squad in 2018.His agency even asserted that if his football career ended, he might pursue a career in professional gaming.

“He’ll play himself, get more involved in eSports, and maybe even turn into an eSports athlete.”In 2022, Dr. Erkut Sogut told The Telegraph. To be honest, he’s quite excellent at Fortnite, so I wouldn’t be shocked if he started competing someday.

He has players on his team, M10 eSports, which he owns. In Germany, he owns a gaming house. He plays Fortnite and football, just like in Fifa. That reality is still not fully realized.

Most recently, he made news when he bought a five percent share in Wrexham alongside many other celebrities.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the owners of Wrexham, have acquired stock in Club Necaxa, a Mexican club.

Along with NFL player Odell Beckham Jr., model Kate Upton, actress Eva Longoria, and MLB pitcher Justin Verlander, Ozil is one of the celebrities that has previously invested in Necaxa.

As part of Reynolds and McElhenney’s investment, the celebrities who invested in Necaxa have now acquired five percent of Wrexham, according to Sportico.

 

The 35-year-old has continued to speak out on social media about issues of the upmost importance to him

 

Ozil revealed that he continues to enjoy playing video games, having become an avid gamer during his football career

Mesut Ozil, a former midfielder for Arsenal, reportedly bought 5% of Wrexham.

Football has been conspicuously absent from Ozil’s post-career life thus far, in contrast to many former greats. Last year, the former midfield player was connected to a position with the Turkey national team, but he ultimately declined the offer.

He said to Marca, “You never know,” when she asked if he would ever become a coach or sporting director.However, this is now beyond dispute.

The way things are at the moment pleases me. We’ll see how things are in a few years, but I’m not bored yet.