Once seen as one of the most talented midfielders in world football, Mesut Özil was the subject of plenty of multi-million euro deals that took him between colossal clubs. However, simply having high transfer fees paid for you and collecting six figures per week won’t guarantee you a horde or riches as grand as the German boasts now.
While net worth figures should always be taken with a very sizable pinch of salt, outlets that report these figures see Özil as being worth over €100 million already. That places him in the top 20 richest footballers. As he looks to continue to grow his worth, we look at how he’s banked on his own brand and expanded his business empire.
Growing Brand Özil
An important factor to note about Mesut Ozil during his time in professional football is that he wasn’t exactly self-promotional. He didn’t have an all-consuming presence like many other players of a similar level of talent, and let his football do the talking. When he did speak out, it was about global issues or to pay the mascot’s wage.
For Germany, he tallied 23 goals and 40 assists in 92 games, helping them to win the 2014 FIFA World Cup. For clubs, he won La Liga and the Spanish Cup with Real Madrid as well as four FA Cups with Arsenal. He certainly made an impact and has leveraged that to launch M10, which specialises in streetwear and entertainment.
Having a brand in this way can open many more opportunities for Özil in a similar way to Cristiano Ronaldo’s CR7. However, he could explore even more areas. With a toe in entertainment already, he could consider licensing his name and likeness to the Sporting Legends bingo slots series. He’d join Frank Bruno and Frankie Dettori if he did so.
With that, the M10 brand would have a constant place in the online libraries of slots, going toe-to-toe with other branded games like Game of Thrones. It’d lead to even greater exposure for M10, still banking on his recognisability and the quality of his playing career, while he expands elsewhere.
Already an Expansive Business Empire
Özil is involved in many different businesses. He’s got a sports clinic, a chain of coffee shops that continue to expand to luxury destinations, several properties, and licenses out to a sock factory. The German midfielder has also stayed connected to the football world as a shareholder in Liga MX Apertura side Necaxa.
Easily the most influential factor is being the co-founder of UNITY. Having joined up with “the businessman,” former teammate Mathieu Flamini, the two launched the eco-friendly skincare brand in 2018. Flamini himself is already a billionaire, having launched the wildly successful BF Biochemicals while still lacing up for AC Milan in 2008.
While the figures generated by UNITY haven’t been made public, its growth since launching eight years ago has certainly influenced net worth calculations for Özil. Also helping to pump up his number is the fleet of sports cars to his name, which is estimated to be worth almost €1 million. Plus, he’s got a “mega mansion” in Istanbul worth over €8 million.
An excellent player in his day, Özil is proving to be just as savvy in the business world as he was with the ball at his feet.
