- Former Arsenal and Real Madrid star Ozil retired from football in March 2023
- Ozil now sports a muscle-bound frame compared to the peak of his playing days
- Why a defeat against Arsenal will be curtains for Man City's title defence - Listen to the It's All Kicking Off podcast
Mesut Ozil has showed off his incredible body transformation in a new photo on Instagram.
The former Arsenal and Real Madrid star retired from football at the age of 34, a year ago last week.
He has dedicated himself to staying active however, and has impressed even the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo with his rigorous gym workouts in recent months - which he has shared on social media.
His personal coach, Alper Aksac, has shared a new photo showcasing the staggering progress that Ozil has made since his retirement.
The former Gunner now sports a muscle-bound frame, compared to his much leaner frame during the peak of his playing career.
Ozil has clearly spent a lot of time building up his arm muscles, as he showed them off in the photo in which he and his trainer are seen doing the same pose.
Former Arsenal team-mate Bacary Sagna was among those to comment on the photo, as he joked: 'Finally getting like me.'
Aksac captioned the photo: 'Nothing better. For the best one ever,' with a weightlifting emoji.
Last week, Ronaldo shared his support for his former Real Madrid team-mate, after Ozil had posted a clip of him using a set of battle ropes before pushing a weighted sled up and down the length of a gym.
The 35-year-old, who played at Los Blancos with Ronaldo between 2010 and 2013, captioned the video: 'Always stay ready, then you don't need to get ready.'
He also added a 'sand timer' and a '100' emoji to the caption, sparking some speculation among fans that he could be considering a return to football.
Ronaldo lauded his gruelling workout, with a winking emoji and writing: 'Bro not bad.'
The Portuguese superstar is not the only one to show their support for his transformation, with Antonio Rudiger describing Ozil as a 'beast' and Rio Ferdinand writing 'looking strong bro'.
The World Cup winner has been included on Germany's draft list for the upcoming Over-35 competition set to be staged in England this summer.
His prospective teammates for said tournament include ex-Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira and former Schalke forward Kevin Kuranyi.
Ozil made over 250 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners during an eight year spell at the club after joining from Real Madrid for £42.5m in the summer of 2013.
He won four FA Cups during his time in North London and notched 19 assists for the Gunners in the 2015-16 Premier League season, which remains a club record.