While Mesut Ozil has had little to smile about following Germany’s miserable World Cup campaign, the midfielder showed he is in good spirits on Arsenal’s pre-season tour. The 29-year-old announced his retirement from international football earlier this week in a statement which listed racism and disrespect as reasons for his decision. Ozil insists that his photograph with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan ‘had no political intentions’ and the playmaker is now looking ahead to the 2018/19 season with his club. With Jack Wilshere completing a move to West Ham earlier this summer, Ozil has taken over the No. 10 shirt at Arsenal and he is clearly relishing the opportunity to impress new head coach Unai Emery.
The German cut short his holiday to join up with his Arsenal team-mates in Singapore and he cannot wait wear his new number for the first time. Here he is proudly showing off his No. 10 shorts to Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang…
Ozil is expected to feature when Arsenal take on Atletico Madrid on Thursday and he’s looking forward to wearing his new number. ‘It has never been a secret how special this number is to me,’ Ozil said earlier this month.