Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil has announced his retirement from international football in an emotional statement, saying he feels "unwanted" by the national team and has hit out at German football officials for alleged racial discrimination.
The Arsenal man was fiercely criticised as Germany crashed out of the World Cup at the group stage, while a photograph he posed for with Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the tournament led to his loyalty to Joachim Low's side being questioned.
Ozil, who is of mixed German and Turkish heritage, said on Sunday night that he and his family had received hate mail, threatening phone calls and social media abuse.
In a statement on Twitter he wrote: "The treatment I have received from the DFB (German Football Association) and many others makes me no longer want to wear the German national team shirt.
"I feel unwanted and think that what I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten.
"People with racially discriminative backgrounds should not be allowed to work in the largest football federation in the world that has players from dual-heritage families. Attitudes like theirs simply do not reflect the players they supposedly represent.
"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 whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect," he added.
"I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don't."
Additional reporting by the Press Association.
