'Take your s*** somewhere else' - Wayne Rooney almost quit Manchester United after Mesut Ozil plea was savagely refused by Sir Alex Ferguson

Mesut Ozil called time on a long and decorated career this week, deciding to retire at the age of just 34 after an unsuccessful spell in Turkey with Fenerbahce and then most recently, Istanbul Basaksehir.

The German international cited a build-up of injuries as the reason for his decision, thanking all former clubs and teammates in an emotional statement on Wednesday. Winner of a World Cup with his country and multiple major honours at club level, the midfielder's impact on the game transcended statistics, particularly at the likes of Real Madrid and Arsenal where his technical quality was adored by supporters.

After cutting his teeth in the Bundesliga with Schalke and Werder Bremen, a then 21-year-old Ozil gathered mass attention for his performances in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where he starred in a youthful German side that also included youngsters such as Thomas Muller, Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos.

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His role in a 4-1 round-of-16 win over England went relatively unnoticed amid the controversy of Frank Lampard's goal that never was, but the young German seemingly caught the eye of Wayne Rooney, who flew back to Manchester after his country's elimination for crunch talks with Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Reds striker was growing frustrated with transfer business around Old Trafford, believing the club were unable to match his lofty ambitions by attracting top-class players. And after returning from South Africa and being impressed by Ozil, knowing a top club would soon swoop, he urged Ferguson to act swiftly but was savagely knocked back, as the legendary United manager later wrote in his autobiography.

"At that meeting, he [Rooney] was