Footballer Mesut Ozil joins US venture capital as strategic advisor

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has joined San Francisco-based venture capital fund Class 5 Global as a strategic advisor, in what would be a move to shift careers.

Even before joining as a strategic advisor, Ozil already has $100 million in assets under management (AUM) in the company. In a statement he said the move would shape and work his “post-football career while actively playing football,” Bloomberg reported.

Class 5 draws VC funding from the United States for online startups in emerging markets. Some of its top managers were founding members of Lumia Capital which was the first US investor in Dubai-based vehicle for hire company Careem and Slovenia-based CargoX.

Youcef Oudjidane, Managing Partner at Class 5, who was introduced to Ozil by former Arsenal player Kieran Gibbs said world-class athletes “bring unique perspective on the future of consumer preferences.”

Ozil (32) is a world-renowned footballer, having been a part of Germany’s champion team in the 2014 World Cup and Real Madrid’s La Liga winning team in 2011-12.

He retired from international games in 2018 after accusing Germany of discrimination due to his Turkish roots and stirred the pot by inviting Turkey’s President and anti-EU proponent Recep Tayyip Erdogan to his wedding as best man.