After months in exile, Mesut Ozil is finally free to leave Arsenal.
The World Cup winner has reached an agreement with the Gunners to terminate his contract, ending a roller-coaster seven-and-a-half-year stay in London, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.
Despite reported interest from MLS outfit D.C. United, the 32-year-old is now expected to join Fenerbahce – the club he supported as a child – on a free transfer. Ornstein reports a deal is in place, and the move could happen as early as this weekend.
Ozil wrote on Twitter that the United States and Turkey were the “two countries I want to play football in before I retire.”
The agreement concludes a once-happy marriage between club and player. Ozil arrived at Arsenal on Sept. 3, 2013, the final day of a record-breaking summer transfer window in England. The north London side agreed to pay a club-record £42.5 million to sign the midfielder from Real Madrid, a sign of intention in the transfer market that sent Arsenal fans into a frenzy.
Ozil helped Arsene Wenger and Co. win the FA Cup in 2013-14, their first piece of silverware in nine years. And in 2015-16, the playmaker nearly set a new Premier League single-season assists record, falling one short of Thierry Henry’s mark with 19.
After signing a contract extension in 2017 worth a reported £350,000 per week, Ozil began to fall out of favor. Wenger left the club, and successors Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta used the midfielder sparingly.
Ozil’s last appearance as an Arsenal player came on March 7 in a 1-0 win over West Ham United. He was omitted from Arteta’s 25-man Premier League squad for the first half of the 2020-21 season and dropped from Europa League consideration.
The former German international continued to train as normal while Arsenal dropped into the bottom half of the Premier League table. Fans clamored for Arteta to reverse course and reintegrate him into the side, seeing Ozil’s creativity as a solution to the club’s scoring woes.
There were just a few months remaining on his contract, which was set to expire on June 30.
theScore looks back on Wayne Rooney’s iconic career now that the English legend has called time on his playing career to manage Derby County.
Here are Rooney’s most memorable moments:
‘Once A Blue, Always A Blue’
His heart was in the right place, but it’s unlikely Wayne Rooney told anyone about his audacious plan to show Everton supporters how committed he was to the club. He was, after all, just 16 years old at the time.
After scoring against Aston Villa in the FA Youth Cup Final in 2002, Rooney celebrated the goal by unveiling a message under his Everton shirt: “Once A Blue, Always A Blue.”
Wayne Rooney “Once a blue always a blue” pic.twitter.com/wmoBvnJP5H
— O???IE ?? ?? ? (@Ouadie13) January 31, 2016
Though it was a welcome message for Toffees supporters yearning for Rooney’s unquestionable talents, fears over his departure were realized just two years later when he skipped town in 2004.
‘Remember the name! Wayne Rooney’
Before moving on to greener pastures, Rooney continued his evolution into one of the world’s most exciting players for his boyhood club.
Though it was no secret in England that there was something special about Everton’s teenage phenom, Rooney announced himself to the world with a moment of magic against a juggernaut Arsenal side.
Em 2002, Rooney balançou as redes pela primeira vez como profissional com esse GOLAÇO! A história estava só começando…
Gigante! ?pic.twitter.com/PHF9h5UazS
— Everton (@Everton_PT) January 15, 2021
Manchester United debut hat-trick
Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images Sport / Getty
As far as debuts go, it doesn’t get much sweeter than Rooney’s at Manchester United.
Rooney wasted no time in proving he was worth the £25.6-million price tag that made him – at the time – the most expensive teenager in the world. The youngster recorded a hat-trick and set up a goal in his first match with United.
In one night, he displayed all the tools United hoped they were getting. Rooney’s mix of agility, speed, power, and finesse proved too much for a helpless Fenerbahce side in the 6-2 drubbing at Old Trafford.
Ending Arsenal’s unbeaten run
Rooney wasn’t done tormenting Arsenal after leaving Goodison Park, as he marked his 19th birthday with a performance for the ages.
The United forward – who then-Gunners manager Arsene Wenger called the “the greatest young English talent I have ever seen” after his goal in 2002 – continued to thrive under the spotlight.
With Arsenal one match away from their 50th straight without a loss, Rooney played a pivotal role in ensuring their record-breaking run ended at 49. During a heated affair known as the “Battle of the Buffet,” Rooney won a penalty and scored in the controversial 2-0 win.
Red card against Portugal
Tom Jenkins / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Rooney’s unbridled passion was a massive component of his success, but his fiery demeanor sometimes came at a price.
One of the biggest blemishes on his career came during the 2006 World Cup in Germany when Rooney – 20 years old at the time – was sent off in the 62nd minute of England’s quarterfinal clash with Portugal for a moment of madness.
After an intense battle for the ball, Rooney stomped on Ricardo Carvalho’s nether regions. To make matters worse, Rooney lost his cool when Portuguese superstar and United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo was animated in his demand for the referee to send the Englishman off.
Lashing out at England fans
Rooney had another moment to forget at the next World Cup when he took out his frustrations on English supporters after a disappointing goalless draw against minnow Algeria in the group stage.
As England fans booed their team off the pitch, Rooney lashed out to a nearby camera over the lack of support, saying, “It’s nice to see your own fans booing you.”
? #OnThisDay in 2010…
England slipped to a disappointing 0-0 draw against Algeria at the World Cup….
…and Wayne Rooney did not like the fans reaction! ? pic.twitter.com/7B0gbyIkvR
— JAFA ??? (@jafa) June 18, 2019
England went on to finish behind the United States in the group stage before bowing out with a decisive loss to Germany.
Not made for Hollywood
When he wasn’t dazzling us with his performances on the pitch, Rooney gave us something to laugh about – for all of the wrong reasons – away from it when he answered the marketing department’s call to endorse a product or promote a film.
For example, this gem:
Truly legendary moment pic.twitter.com/C1Nly6T6bz
— Tom Adams (@tomadams83) January 15, 2021
And there’s this shocker from 2016:
Any excuse to watch Wayne Rooney’s oscar-winning performance in the X-Men: Apocalypse advert. A true work of art pic.twitter.com/cyeb20ercN
— Jack Kenmare (@jackkenmare_) January 15, 2021
Overhead kick against City
Of all the moments, Rooney’s overhead strike against Manchester City in 2012 might be the most indelible image of his legendary career.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s reaction spoke volumes, as Rooney left the iconic manager stunned and brought the Old Trafford faithful to their feet with an acrobatic effort to lift United to a crucial victory over their fiercest rival.
Wayne Rooney officially retires from playing to take his first job in management.
This goal in the Manchester derby will never be forgotten ?
(? via @ManUtd_ID) pic.twitter.com/ileg3U9wQq
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 15, 2021
Rooney called it “the best goal” of his career. He finished the season by helping United win the fourth of his five Premier League titles.
Kitchen floor knockout
As Rooney entered the final years of his time at United, it was clear he wasn’t the same player who shined during the league-winning years.
But he successfully managed to shift attention away from his fading talents in 2015 when a video surfaced of him sparring good pal Phil Bardsley, who landed a vicious blow to prove the United star wasn’t much of a boxer.
??
That time when Wayne Rooney got knocked out in Phil Bardsley’s kitchen… pic.twitter.com/MToYfZCADf
— ????™ (@bigreegs1985) February 6, 2020
Rooney had some fun at his own expense, celebrating a goal for United by pretending to knock himself out shortly after the video went viral.
Sir Bobby Charlton’s England record falls
Action Images via Reuters / John Sibley Livepic
Though Rooney never really got close to winning the World Cup, there’s no doubting his place as one of England’s most prolific scorers.
Sir Bobby Charlton’s longstanding record of 49 goals for the Three Lions finally fell in 2015 when Rooney converted a penalty against Switzerland at Wembley Stadium to surpass the 1966 World Cup winner.
He ended his international career with 53 goals, 21 more than the next closest active player, Harry Kane.
United’s all-time leading scorer
The wait to eclipse Charlton as United’s all-time leading scorer ended with a strike of sheer beauty.
Rooney added another dramatic moment to his collection when he scored a phenomenal free-kick against Stoke City in 2017 to bring his team level in stoppage time with his record-breaking 250th goal.
He left at the end of the 2016-17 season to rejoin Everton, ending his storied career as United’s top scorer with 253 goals in 559 appearances.
Flashes of brilliance in MLS
Just when you thought the days of Rooney scoring jaw-dropping goals were a thing of the past, he showed he still had something left in the tank during his stint at D.C. United.
Legend, @WayneRooney. ?pic.twitter.com/8Pvc1T4lto
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) January 15, 2021
One of his most memorable plays, however, didn’t end in him scoring. The English striker showed off his dominance on both ends of the pitch with an unforgettable sequence against Orlando City in his first season in North America.
After tracking back to win the ball with a textbook tackle deep into stoppage time, Rooney did his best quarterback impression by going deep with a pass into enemy territory and picking out a teammate for the winning goal.
The last time D.C. United faced Orlando, Wayne Rooney pulled off THAT magical game winning assist ??? pic.twitter.com/5urhdgF8Uf
At the time of the trade, the Seahawks planned to wait until this offseason to attempt to sign Adams to an extension.
“That’s something that is out of my hands right now,” Adams said. “I sure pray that I am here. I love being a Seattle Seahawk. I love being a part of this organization. It’s a special one with special people with special guys around, and young ladies as well. So when that time comes, it comes. But I’m worried about getting healthy right now and getting back and getting into the flow of everything and figuring out everything. So I’m not really focused on that right now.”
Carroll said safety/nickelback Marquise Blair is on track to be ready by training camp following surgery on the ACL tear he suffered in Week 2. Defensive end/outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, who suffered the same injury in the same game, recently had a second surgery for that injury.
“He’s come out of that really well but he’s behind because of that,” Carroll said.
Irvin is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent.
The Baltimore Ravens insist their celebration on the Tennessee Titans’ logo after Marcus Peters’ game-sealing interception wasn’t planned.
In the final two minutes of the Ravens’ 20-13 wild-card victory Sunday, 15 Ravens defenders followed Peters and stormed midfield where many stomped on the logo. This outburst came two months after the Titans players huddled on the Ravens’ logo before the teams’ last matchup, which led to a confrontation between Ravens coach John Harbaugh and their players.
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“This is an emotional football game. Sometimes you act out of emotion,” Ravens defensive end Derek Wolfe said. “I felt like it was a good time to go ahead and do that — so we did it. It wasn’t a disrespect thing. It was a team unity thing like we accomplished something as a team, so we’re going to go out there and take a little bit of revenge. I don’t think it’s a big deal.”
Baltimore defensive end Calais Campbell, who flexed on the Titans’ logo, told NFL Network when asked about the gathering at midfield: “Respect is earned.”
Peters ended the Titans’ hope for a comeback with two minutes remaining, when he picked off Ryan Tannehill at the Ravens’ 40-yard line, returned the interception 13 yards and then bolted to the middle of the field. He leapt on the logo, dropped the ball there and shouted at the Titans sideline with his arms extended. Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey sat on the logo and middle linebacker Patrick Queen waved at the Tennessee sideline.
The Ravens were penalized 15 yards for taunting but it had no impact on the game. Six plays later, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson knelt one final time and ran off the field without shaking hands with the Titans, waving his teammates to do the same.
“I feel it was just disrespect to see what went on before the game the last time we played those guys, and they were standing on our logo and seeing them get into it with our coach,” Jackson said. “That was just disrespectful, because we treat all of our opponents with respect. It wasn’t no reason for us to shake hands and stuff like that. We’ll be the bigger guy, so we just walked off the field. I feel like we were being the bigger guys.”
Tennessee offensive tackle Dennis Kelly doesn’t understand why the Ravens responded that way because he said the Titans have huddled at midfield before games the whole season.
“I don’t know what that whole disrespectful thing came from,” Kelly said. “If that’s what Harbaugh wanted to use to motivate them, I guess it worked.”
Titans coach Mike Vrabel declined to get into specifics over the Ravens’ midfield celebration and not shaking hands after the game.
“I coach the Titans, not the Ravens,” Vrabel said.
Peters wasn’t made available to reporters after the game, and Harbaugh wasn’t asked about his players’ celebration.
“We just like to celebrate; you know what I mean? It was a good celebration, I think,” Humphrey said. “Usually whoever makes the play, you run to that person; that person just so happened to end up being on the logo.”
ESPN’s Turron Davenport contributed to this report.