One of the finest playmakers to ever grace the Premier League will only be assisting off the field from now on, as Mesut Ozil prepares for the next chapter of his life following his retirement from professional football.
Having been plagued by niggling injuries during the 2022-23 campaign, the 34-year-old has brought a halt to a career filled with dazzling moments, trophies galore and his fair share of frustrating moments at club level.
Best known for his seven-and-a-half year spell with Arsenal, Ozil's time in North London ended on an extremely sour note, but the ex-Germany international served up a plethora of iconic performances in red and white.
While always capable of providing exquisite assists that few others on a football pitch would dare to attempt, Ozil was often a dab hand at putting the ball in the back of the net, firing home 44 times in 254 games for the Gunners.
Here, Sports Mole counts down Ozil's five greatest goals for Arsenal as we pay tribute to the playmaker's celebrated career.
5. Stoke City - Premier League - December 10, 2016
© Reuters
Ozil was never renowned for any sort of aerial ability - hardly a surprise given his 5ft 10in frame - but Lee Grant could only stand and watch as the German's header sailed over his reach and into the back of the net.
Welcoming Stoke City to the Emirates Stadium for a Premier League clash in December 2016, the Potters silenced the Emirates from the penalty spot, with Charlie Adam drawing first blood after Joe Allen felt the full force of Granit Xhaka's elbow.
However, Theo Walcott's 100th club goal drew the Gunners level before the break, and another Englishman turned provider for Ozil to turn the game on its head in the 49th minute.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's delightful cross picked out the run of Ozil, who beat the offside trap and lofted the ball over Grant - who was in no man's land - with a cushioned header into the back of the net.
Alex Iwobi made sure of a 3-1 win for the Gunners, who rose to the top of the table with that success, but even the top four was a bridge too far for Arsene Wenger's men come the end of 2016-17.
4. Napoli - Champions League - October 1, 2013
© Reuters
A clash between two title-chasing Arsenal and Napoli teams in 2023 would be a truly tantalising battle, but 10 years ago, the Gunners strolled to success over the Partenopei thanks to Ozil's brilliant baptism.
Napoli were undone within the first 15 minutes of their Champions League group-stage clash at the Emirates, as Ozil finished off a sweeping move in the eighth minute to open his account for the Gunners.
Wenger's men attacked down the right through Olivier Giroud, who set Aaron Ramsey away with a sublime flick before the Welshman cut back for Ozil, who delicately guided the ball into the back of the net with a gorgeous strike.
The way that Ozil re-adjusted himself to side-foot home was a thing of beauty, and the ex-Real Madrid man turned provider for Giroud to complete the job only seven minutes later, passing his Emirates audition with flying colours in the process.
3. Chelsea - Premier League - September 24, 2016
© Reuters
Just after clinching Premier League glory with Chelsea in the 2016-17 season, Antonio Conte credited September's 3-0 loss to Arsenal as the moment that his side's fortunes took a turn for the better, but not before Ozil and Alexis Sanchez demolished the Blues.
Tearing apart Conte's previous 4-3-3 formation, Arsenal went ahead through Sanchez's cheeky chip with just 11 minutes gone before Walcott doubled the Gunners' lead on the 14-minute mark.
Five minutes before the half-time whistle, Ozil turned N'Golo Kante with ease as Arsenal raced away on the break, and there was only one set of winners when Sanchez and Ozil took on David Luiz and Gary Cahill in a two-on-two battle.
Sanchez stayed onside to receive Ozil's pass before immediately crossing the ball back in for his teammate, whose volley into the ground bounced over a hapless Thibaut Courtois, struck the inside of the post and nestled into the back of the net.
Executing a variant of the bounce shot with aplomb, Ozil and Arsenal saw out a comfortable win, even if Conte did make a half-time switch to the three-man backline which has since become a staple of the Italian's success.
2. Newcastle United - Premier League - December 16, 2017
Deciding against his trademark bounce technique when Newcastle United came to town in December 2017, Ozil struck the only goal of the game in some style to see off the relegation-threatened Magpies.
With 23 minutes gone, an Iwobi cutback from the right evaded a sea of bodies before falling at the feet of Sanchez, whose shot was blocked by DeAndre Yedlin before Florian Lejeune tried to head clear.
However, the Frenchman only succeeded in putting the ball on a plate for Ozil, whose wonderful left-footed volley into the far corner left Rob Elliot rooted to the spot.
Arsenal would see out a hard-fought 1-0 win thanks to Ozil's slice of brilliance, which was accurately hailed as a "gem" by Wenger during his final season in the Emirates dugout.
1. Ludogorets - Champions League - November 2, 2016
Mere minutes after Ozil's retirement was confirmed, videos of his incredible solo winner against Ludogorets in the Champions League from 2016 were played on repeat, and it is easy to see why.
With a win guaranteeing them a place in the knockout rounds, nearly everything that could go wrong in Bulgaria did go wrong for Arsenal, who fell 2-0 down within the opening 15 minutes.
However, Ozil was the catalyst for a brilliant Arsenal comeback, getting to the byline and setting up Xhaka to reduce the deficit before Giroud headed Arsenal level just before the break.
Arsenal were seemingly consigned to just the one point as the game entered its dying embers, but in the 87th minute, Mohamed Elneny's long pass sent Ozil through on goal after Ludogorets' attempts at catching the German offside proved futile.
Goalkeeper Milan Borjan sprinted out of his area to meet Ozil, who delicately lifted the ball over the goalkeeper's outstretched arm before coming face to face with two Ludogorets defenders.
Not phased one bit by being outnumbered, Ozil faked to shoot - which left the Ludogorets duo on their backsides - before coolly slotting home into the bottom corner to send Arsenal through to the last 16 in exquisite fashion.
Ben Knapton
