BREAKING: Mesut Ozil announces his retirement from Germany national team

Mesut Ozil has announced his retirement from international football. The 29-year-old Arsenal midfielder was criticized for his performance in Germany's World Cup. XI for the must-win clash with South Korea, but was again on the losing side. Ozil posted three open letters to social media on Sunday, concluding with his resignation from international football. He wrote: "It is with a heavy heart and after much consideration that it is due to recent events I will no longer be playing for Germany at the international level whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect. "I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I do not. This decision has been extremely difficult to make because of the coaching staff and the good people of Germany. "But when high-ranking DFB officials treat me as they did, disrespect my Turkish roots and selfishly turn me into political propaganda. "That is not why I play football, and I will not sit back and do nothing about it. Racism should never, ever be accepted. "