Mesut Özil was last on a German football pitch in March 2018. A lot has happened since then, with the 32-year-old quitting the German national team after accusing the association of racism.

Now he is returning with Turkish club side Fenerbahce to play Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League on Thursday, but a half-planned meeting with ex-Germany coach Joachim Löw is not happening.

"This will unfortunately not be possible in Frankfurt because of the coronavirus situation. But Jogi knows his way around Istanbul and is always invited to a Fenerbahce home game," Özil told SID about former Fenerbahce coach Löw.

"Given the coronavirus, it will sadly also not be possible for me to meet my family, who will be at the stadium, at length before or after the game, for example, at the hotel."

On leaving the job after the Euros, Löw said he wanted to have clear-the-air talks with Özil after the controversy caused by the attacking midfielder being photographed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Özil, who has Turkish roots but was born in Germany, was criticized for the photo by then-German Football Association president Reinhard Grindel and the 2014 World Cup winner subsequently felt unable to put on the Germany shirt again.

He says he and his family are very happy in Istanbul following his move from Arsenal in January and the allegiance of the former Schalke, Werder Bremen and Real Madrid man is now very clear.

"Fener has always been my absolute favorite club," he said. "I also had other offers at the beginning of the year, for example from the USA. But in the end, only Fener came into the equation for me."

mlm/jh (SID)