'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABmAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABggQAAEEAgAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMRBAUGEhMhIpTRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBREAAQMCBwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDEgAEBREVIjFBsv/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8Aw/w1uxBrMuHHxIh1WkvklAmfyMa7waXCmgkXYF2o07uK+2PP7k31ER0kh1wDjb5FWbttGn4cuIkpDsj2cnDX/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Mesut Ozil has claimed that he would be happy to see his former club Arsenal win the Premier League title this season.
The German icon announced his retirement from football yesterday (March 23) and went on to conduct an interview with MARCA shortly after. He was asked to assess his seven-and-a-half-year stay at the Emirates.
Ozil replied:
"The first years were very good. We played in the Champions League, we had a great team with great players and an incredible coach like Arsène Wenge. After he [Arsene Wenger] left the club, many things changed for me.
The 34-year-old added:
"I have no interest in adding fuel to the fire again. Now I am relaxed and I wish the best to the Arsenal fans, who have always been very supportive of me. I would be happy for them if they could celebrate the Premier League title. They deserve it!"
The north London giants have an eight-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Ozil was known for his vision and playmaking ability, which made him one of the world's finest attacking midfielders during his heyday. He scored 44 goals and provided 79 assists in 254 career games for the Gunners, winning four FA Cups in the process.
The German's importance to the team, however, started to wane under then-club manager Unai Emery a few months into the 2018-19 season. The trend continued under manager Mikel Arteta after his appointment in December 2019.
Ozil started just 20 Premier League games since Emery's appointment in the summer of 2018 before his exit in January 2021. Things reached a critical point at the start of the 2020-21 campaign when the former Real Madrid playmaker was left out of the club's UEFA Europa League and Premier League squads.
Recalling Mesut Ozil's fallout with Arsenal over comments made in December 2019
Mesut Ozil publicly condemned China’s persecution of the Uighur population in north-west Xinjiang in an Instagram post on December 13, 2019. He also spoke out against Muslims for not doing more to publicize the issue.
As per a report from the Guardian shortly after Ozil's post, Arsenal vehemently distanced themselves from the German playmaker's comments. This led Ozil to publicly call out the Gunners in August 2020.
An excerpt from his interview with the Athletic reads (h/t France24):
"I have given a lot to Arsenal, on and off the pitch, so the reaction was disappointing. They said they don't get involved in politics but this isn't politics and they have got involved in other issues."
Ozil left Arsenal for Fenerbahce on a free transfer in January 2021.
