Mesut Ozil’s retirement from international football offers an opportunity for younger players to prosper, according to Lothar Matthaus.
Ozil has made himself unavailable for selection due to perceived mistreatment from the German Football Federation (DFB).
The midfielder ended his career with the national team in a three-part statement posted on social media, calling out both the DFB and their president, Reinhard Grindel, for incompetence and insensitivity toward his Turkish heritage.
However Matthaus, who won 150 caps, does not believe Ozil is a huge loss, given his recent performances for the national team.
“Mesut has been a great performer in the national team for eight years, but for a year and a half I have not liked [his displays],” Matthaus told Kicker. “But I have criticised him for that, everything else does not interest me.
“It could have been dealt with better from the beginning, as many people were involved. It is a pity and sad that it did not work, because Ozil has done much for German football.
“The topic has been underestimated from the start, even by the DFB. Anyone can take pictures with who they want, but then they have to be prepared to face criticism and give answers – it was drawn out for too long.”
The 29-year-old was criticised after being photographed with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a London event in May.
He says he received hate mail and threats and was being blamed for Germany’s disappointing World Cup.
“I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,” Ozil said.
However Chancellor Angela Merkel “respects” his decision as he has done much for the national side, her spokesperson said on Monday.
The third-generation Turkish-German was born in Gelsenkirchen and was a key member of his country’s 2014 World Cup-winning side.
He has 92 caps and has been voted the national team’s player of the year five times since 2011 by fans.
However, the team failed to get beyond the group stages of the recent World Cup in Russia, despite being one of the favourites.
Ozil said his recent treatment made him “no longer want to wear the German national team shirt”.
In a lengthy statement posted on social media, he said he did not feel accepted in German society despite paying taxes, donating to good causes there, and being a World Cup winner.
Germany’s football association, the DFB, was among those to criticise Ozil after he had his photograph taken with Erdogan.
“It is with a heavy heart and after much consideration that because of recent events, I will no longer be playing for Germany at international level while I have this feeling of racism and disrespect,” the player said.
“I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don’t. I feel unwanted and think that what I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten.”
Ozil met Erdogan in May along with fellow Germany international Ilkay Gundogan, the Manchester City player who is also of Turkish descent. Ozil says he and Gundogan talked about football with the president.
Afterwards, photographs were released by Turkey’s governing AK Party in the build-up to elections in the country, which Erdogan won outright.
Many German politicians questioned Ozil and Gundogan’s loyalty to German democratic values. Germany has previously criticised the Turkish leader’s crackdown on political dissent following a failed coup.
Gundogan later issued a statement in which he said he “honours German values 100%” and never intended the picture to be seen as a show of political support.