Özil and Fenerbahce terminate contractual relationship
The “dream wedding” between Mesut Özil and his “childhood love” Fenerbahce is divorced after only a year and a half. The contract, which ran until 2024, was terminated. Özil is now moving to the Erdogan club Basaksehir.
Mesut Özil failed miserably at Fenerbahce Istanbul. The 2014 world champion and the club terminated the contract. Despite vowing never to wear another shirt again, Özil has a new club – the move to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s favorite club is perfect.
Dhe end was announced with 24 words. Two dry sentences, Fenerbahce Istanbul had nothing more for Mesut Özil, whom the club signed as a new superstar from Arsenal in January 2021. Two years after the transfer, the change turned out to be a big misunderstanding. Özil, who has been suspended since last March, is leaving Fenerbahce.
It’s an icy breakup. “It has been agreed that the contract between our club and Mesut Özil will be terminated by mutual agreement. We wish Mesut Özil every success for the rest of his career,” Fenerbahce wrote in a press release.
Mesut Özil joined Fenerbahce on a free transfer from Arsenal in January 2021
Source: picture alliance / Photoshot
Özil’s contract would have run until 2024, but the relationship between the 2014 world champion and Fenerbahce was broken. The midfielder made just 31 appearances for his favorite club, scoring seven goals.
He has not been in the squad since last March after an argument with Fenerbahce coach Ismail Kartal. Özil is said to have insulted his coach after being substituted in the game against Konyaspor. Club president Ali Koc had already complained last November that the 92-time German international finally had to concentrate on his work and put his business matters aside.
Shortly after Fenerbahce’s press release, the Istanbul club Basaksehir spoke up via Twitter by sharing the song “Break your bonds” by singer Tarkan and linking Özil in the tweet. The move to the favorite club of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was heralded – and made perfect on Thursday afternoon.
They welcome Özil to the family and wish him every success in the orange and dark blue jersey, the club said on its website. “I’m very happy,” said Özil at the signing ceremony in Istanbul. President Göksel Gümüsdag said a two-year contract had been proposed to Özil. But he wanted a one-year contract with an option for another year – after a year you would then evaluate again.
“Childhood dream of playing in a Fenerbahce shirt”
Basaksehir’s club boss Gümüsdag is a relative of the Erdogan family by marriage. And Özil also has a close relationship with Erdogan. In 2018 he resigned from the German national team, the trigger was a joint photo with Erdogan, from which the professional footballer did not distance himself. A year after the joint photo, Erdogan Özil’s best man was at his wedding to the former Miss Turkey Amine Gülse.
Özil explained his departure from Fenerbahce as follows: “One of the things that makes life is that it is full of uncertainties. Our plan, our dreams and our desires sometimes don’t go in the direction we would like to go. I wanted to be successful by getting more chances to play in the Fenerbahce shirt, which was always my childhood dream.”
