Mesut Ozil’s father has insisted his son would still be playing football for Germany had he been more protected by his advisors off the pitch.
The former Arsenal star, who has repeatedly hit the headlines in recent months for his impressive physical transformation, hung up his boots in March last year aged 34.
Many of his former international teammates are part of Julian Nagelsmann’s squad looking to secure European Championship glory on home soil this summer, with Germany set to take on Denmark on Saturday for a place in the quarter-finals.
During his international career, Ozil was often partnered alongside fellow Germany international of Turkish descent Ilkay Gundogan, and the pair came under heavy scrutiny in 2018 after they posed for a photo with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ozil would retire from international football shortly after the incident, citing negative interactions with Reinhard Grindel, then president of the German FA.
Meanwhile despite the fall out from the incident, Ilkay Gundogan has remained a mainstay with the national team, a position Mustafa believes his son would have trained with better guidance.
“If Mesut had been protected more, he would definitely still be at this European Championship. And with heart and soul.” Ozil told Sport Bild, via Daily Mail.
The elder Ozil had initially served as his son’s manager, before Mesut opted to switch to Erkut Sogut in 2013.
To this day the pair reportedly have no real contact with one another.
In Mustafa’s view, Sogut is to blame for his son’s controversial decisions that he believes ultimately led to Ozil’s decline on the pitch and subsequent retirement from football.
“Mesut has a big heart. You can take a kebab out of his hand – he wouldn’t say anything.’ Mustafa continued.
“[He] felt most comfortable when he was on the pitch in front of 50,000, 60,000 or more spectators and was able to play without worry.”
