Despite currently finding himself out-of-favour at Arsenal, Mesut Ozil has cemented a reputation as one of the finest creative midfielders of his era over the years.

Having started out at Schalke in 2006, where he made 30 appearances, the German moved on to Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen, where his technical ability and individual performances attracted the attention of Europe’s biggest clubs.

After an impressive 2010 World Cup with Germany, Ozil signed for Real Madrid, playing a major role in helping Jose Mourinho’s side to secure La Liga in the 2011/12 season. Despite topping the league assists chart for three consecutive seasons, he was sold to Arsenal in the 2013 summer transfer window for a club-record fee of £42.5m.

Under the management of Arsene Wenger, Ozil continued to assert himself as one of the world’s top creative players, and helped Arsenal to three FA Cups.

Despite signing a bumper new contract in 2018, Ozil has struggled for game time in recent seasons and looks set to leave the club when his deal expires at the end of the current season.

We’re going to take a look below at the German’s net worth.

How much is Mesut Ozil worth?

According to Forbes, the 32-year-old earns $23.2m (around £17m) via salary and earnings at Arsenal. His current contract with the Gunners is rumoured to be worth in excess of £300,000 per week.

In 2020, he was the 49th highest-paid athlete in the world, ahead of the likes of Paul Pogba, Jordan Spieth and Antoine Griezmann.

Ozil’s total earnings, according to the Highest Paid Athletes list, stand at $28.7m (£21.1m) as of May 2020.

How much does Mesut Ozil earn from endorsements?

Ozil currently earns $5.5m (£4m) from endorsements, and has signed sponsorship deals with the likes of Adidas, Beats Electronics and Mercedes-Benz.

He set up M10 eSports in 2018, a team which competes in Fortnite and FIFA competitions, and also works with Emirates, Arsenal’s stadium and shirt sponsor.

How much charity work does Mesut Ozil take part in?

Ozil has forged a reputation as one of the most charitable people in world football. He revealed in 2015 that his passion for charity work arose from wanting to give children the things that he never had growing up, and has donated to several key causes over the years.

Earlier that year, he paid for 11 Brazilian children to have life-saving operations, using the bonus he received from the 2014 World Cup, which Germany won. More recently, he paid for 1,000 children across the world to have vital operations.

He is also an ambassador for the Rays of Sunshine charity, which aims to support children between the ages of three and 18 with serious or life-limiting illnesses.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ozil donated £80,000 to a Turkish charity to help Muslims during Ramadan, whilst he also contributed towards providing school meals in London.

In October, the German set up a footwear range in conjunction with Hide and Jack, with all profits going towards children affected by coronavirus in Italy.