Mesut Özil has not played football since March, when he was suspended at Fenerbahçe Istanbul. After moving to Erdogan's favorite club, he is now making his debut for Basaksehir - and is allowed to play for ten minutes. After that, the 33-year-old is very relieved.
Former world champion Mesut Özil reacted with relief to his league debut for his new employer. "It feels so good to finally be back on the pitch," wrote the former international footballer after his debut for Basaksehir Istanbul's first team. Özil came on as a substitute in the 80th minute of his new team's 2-0 home win against Kayserispor on Sunday. This ended the 33-year-old's long wait for the next game in the Süperlig.
Özil was released from his previous club Fenerbahçe Istanbul in March. The reason for the dispute was not made public at the time. Club president Ali Koc had previously complained, however, that the 92-time German international finally had to concentrate on his work and put his business matters aside.
Fenerbahçe then parted ways with Özil in July. The midfielder has signed a one-year contract with Basaksehir with an option for a further year. The club is considered the favorite club of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Before the preliminary round of the German national team at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Özil was criticized for his photos with the Turkish head of state. After the tournament he resigned from the national team and criticized the way he was treated. At Özil's wedding in the summer of 2019, Erdogan is said to have been best man.
Basaksehir started the season with seven points from three games. In the win against Kayserispor, Özil came on for former HSV professional Berkay Özcan, who made the final 2-0.
