The German midfielder is currently plying his trade in Turkey with Fenerbahçe but was removed from the first-team squad due to disciplinary reasons.

Although it does not look like he will return to the squad, the 33-year-old's contract still runs until June 2024.

"He will go more into esports, play himself and maybe become an esports athlete," Sögüt told the Daily Telegraph.

"He's really good, to be honest, at Fortnite and I think one day I wouldn't be surprised if he is competing.

"He owns a team - M10 Esports - and he has players.

"He has a gaming house in Germany.

"He has football, like FIFA, and Fortnite."

In March, Özil was excluded from Fenerbahçe's first team after being substituted at half-time in a game against Konyaspor, despite captaining the side and having been one of their key players since moving to Istanbul in January 2021.

Özil established his esports team in 2014, and immediately signed the reigning FIFA eClub World Cup champion 'FIFA Ustun'.

His team also consists of Dutchman Levy Frederique and India’s Siddh Chandarana.

"Out of his own passion for gaming and esports, Mesut decided to give young and dedicated players a home where they could evolve to be the next esport stars from tomorrow," according to the M10 Esports website.

Özil isn't the only football star to own an esports team either, with Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea owning his 'Rebels Gaming' team, while Argentine Sergio Aguero and Englishmen Jesse Lingard and David Beckham also starting up their own teams.