Özil joined the youth system of Bundesliga team Schalke in his hometown of Gelsenkirchen in 2005. His success on the international stage came early, winning the U21 European championship with Germany in 2009.

Özil's club career has not disappointed those who once described him as "the next big thing." After a falling out with Schalke over salary, Özil moved to Werder Bremen in 2008. His performances for Germany in 2010's World Cup gained the attention of Europe's best clubs. He moved to Real Madrid in 2010 and later moved to English team Arsenal for a (then) club record €50 million ($58.7 million).

In 2010, Özil won the Bambi — Germany's top media prize — for being a shining example of German integration. A third-generation German, he has always expressed pride in his Turkish roots, while emphasizing that his life has been devoted to Germany. An observant Muslim, he posted pictures of himself making the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 2016.

Seen here meeting Chancellor Angela Merkel after defeating Turkey in 2012, the attacking midfielder has attracted legions of loyal fans for his quiet, unassuming personality and philanthropy. He would later be applauded for donating his 2014 World Cup winnings to Brazilian children in need of life-saving surgery and for meeting with Syrian refugee children in Jordan.

Özil started in all seven games of Germany's sucessful World Cup run in Brazil in 2014. Known as "Löw's playmaker," the midfielder has a close relationship with German national coach Joachim Löw. He ended the tournament leading in passes completed in the final third and was behind only Argentine superstar Lionel Messi in chances created.

Özil has met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan several times, most recently in May 2018, leading to a photo opportunity that many resoundingly condemned — from the political left for his apparent support of an authoritarian leader, and from the right for a perceived lack of loyalty to Germany.

Germany crashed out in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia — the national team's worst performance in decades. The president of the DFB, Reinhard Grindel, attempted to deflect criticism from himself by blaming Özil's Erodgan meeting for distracting the team. Grindel's reaction drew intense criticism from German politicians and soccer fans.

In an eviscerating statement on Twitter, Özil resigned from international play in July 2018, aged 29. "I will no longer stand for being a scapegoat for his incompentence," the footballer said of Grindel. Accusing the DFB president of racism, he thanked Löw and others in the German team for their support. In total, he played 92 matches for Germany, scored 23 goals, and registered 40 assists.

After losing his Schalke spot to emerging young talent Alexander Nübel, Ralf Fährmann has left his boyhood club to try and make his mark in England, for a season at least. His new coach calls him "still one of the best German keepers" but the former Schalke captain will have to displace Dutch international Tim Krul between the sticks for newly promoted Norwich City.

That coach's name is Daniel Farke. The Norwich boss joined the Canaries from Borussia Dortmund's reserves two years ago and secured a surprise promotion, and league title, last season. The 42-year-old has installed a German spine to his team, and Fährmann is joined in the squad by seven playing compatriots.

Onel Hernandez, Dennis Sbeny, Christoph Zimmermann, Tom Trybull, Marco Stiepermann, Philip Heise and Moritz Leitner may not be household names in Germany but at the club in the east of England they and their coach have their own song: "All the Germans, so many Germans, they all go hand in hand, hand in hand through their Farke-life." To Blur's 'Parklife' in case you didn't pick it.

Jürgen Klopp is another man who inspires song in his admirers, in his case there's plenty of both. After securing a Champions League winner's medal and breaking his long trophy drought last season, the Liverpool coach wants the same thing as the fans - to end the 30 year wait for the Premier League title.

What is realistically expected of Shkordan Mustafi this season? Firstly, to make fewer mistakes. The center back, 27, has become a figure of fun at Arsenal and the signing of David Luiz from Chelsea is likely to send him further down the pecking order. Rumors of interest from Monaco have swirled in recent days.

Bernd Leno stands in contrast to Mustafi as the established first choice for his position at Arsenal. The goalkeeper took a while to displace now-retired Petr Cech last term before making the spot his own. He's now taken the No. 1 jersey and will be hoping to improve a leaky defense.

But the best know of Arsenal's German contingent remains Mesut Özil. The playmaker divides opinion like few others, some see a lethargic luxury and others a skilled footballer with vision beyond compare. The truth, as always, is somewhere in between. The 2014 World Cup winner is still yet to win a trophy with the Gunners and must also win the trust of coach Unai Emery.

Will he or won't he? Endless transfer talk was devoted to whether or not Leroy Sane, the Premier League's young player of the year in 2017-18, would move to Bayern Munich. The skillful winger seemed to have lost the trust of Pep Guardiola towards the end of last season, making a transfer possible. But a cruciate ligament injury seems to have put an end to any move, for now at least.

Despite winning the domestic treble with Manchester City last season, Ilkay Gündogan's future looked uncertain, with contract talks stalling despite his increased importance to Pep Guardiola's side. The midfielder showed great adaptability to perform a deeper lying role last term without losing any of his influence and duly signed a new four-year deal just before the start of the season.

Pascal Gross spent two years at Ingolstadt before joining Brighton and Hove Albion when the German outfit were relegated in 2017. The 28-year-old has become a regular in the Seagulls midfield, with his dead ball delivery proving a key weapon for a side who have battled against the drop. How Gross fits into new coach Graham Potter's system is, for now, an open question.

Though Chelsea's 2018-19 season ended in Europa League glory, Antonio Rüdiger was forced to watch it from the stands as a result of a knee injury which required surgery. The center back looks set to be a key man under new coach Frank Lampard, especially with the departure of David Luiz. He will also hope to nail down a place in the national team, which he hasn't quite achieved yet.

A strong dribbler who's confident on the ball in tight spaces, for a long time Max Meyer was one of German football's great hopes for the future. He made his Schalke debut at 17 and was in the national team a year later. Since then, things have stalled a little. His free transfer to Crystal Palace didn't quite work out last year and his last Germany cap was in November 2016.