Mesut Ozil has had a whirlwind 12 months. The highest paid player in Arsenal's history has had a topsy-turvy period on and off the pitch.
From being a victim of a daylight carjacking to criticising China's treatment of Muslim Uighurs and falling out of favour under former Gunners boss Unai Emery, Ozil is now a father to a baby girl during a global pandemic.
Ozil became Arsenal's top earner in January 2018 after agreeing a new three-year contract worth £350,000 a week until the summer of 2021.
The deal came back to bite Emery, who was sacked in November, as he demanded a level of intensity from his players that Ozil did not offer.
This season, he has played just 18 of the 28 Premier League games, totalling 1,449 minutes of first-team football.
Emery had said his sketchy appearance record had been down to excuses varying from injuries to tactical reasons before admitting he did not believe the German deserved a place in the squad after leaving him out for a third game in a row in October.
Ozil broke his silence to discuss his turbulent start to the campaign, he said: 'If we don't do well in a big game, it's always my fault. If that's true, how do you explain our results in the big games when I wasn't involved? There's no real difference.
'I know people expect me to offer more, dictate play and make the difference. I do, too, but it's not straightforward.
'I'm not the only player in the team and, don't forget, some of our opponents are simply better than us.'
There have however been some mitigating circumstances for his exclusion. Over the summer, Ozil and team-mate Sead Kolasinac were ambushed by attackers on mopeds in north west London.
The Arsenal star was attacked by the robbers as he drove his black Mercedes G-Class through Childs Hill on July 25.
The event saw Ozil and Kolasinac left out of the Arsenal squad to face Newcastle following 'further security incidents'.
Ozil returned to the squad for the Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool at Anfield. He made 34 passes of which 94.4 per cent were accurate. Likewise, his 23 forward passes saw an 88.5 per cent success rate yet of all these only two passes in isolation were noted as 'key' by statisticians Opta, in that they led to a scoring opportunity.
The former Germany international continued to claw his way back into the team after the appointment of Mikel Arteta on December 20, but Arsenal have yet to offer him a contract extension, despite the fact his current deal is due to expire next summer.
Given this season, Ozil's relationship with Arsenal fans has been a little turbulent and that came to light when the German midfielder was booed by the crowd in December for angrily shouting at Alexandre Lacazette in the wake of Arsenal's 2-1 defeat by Brighton.
Ozil carried on with the bad-boy demeanour as he kicked his gloves along the touchline as he vented his frustration at being substituted in Arsenal's 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City on December 15.
The German was taken off by interim manager Freddie Ljungberg after 59 minutes, with Emile Smith-Rowe his replacement.
Criticism has not only stemmed from him attitude on the pitch, but also his political involvement off it.
In June the 31-year-old midfielder married his fiancee, former Miss Turkey, Amine Gulse at a luxury hotel in Istanbul with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as his best man.
Ozil had announced prior to the wedding that he had asked Mr Erdogan to be his best man but faced criticism from his country of birth for the decision.
The Turkish president is a highly controversial figure and continues to have poor relations with Germany.
Ozil's involvement with him has left the midfielder feeling 'disrespected and unprotected' in Germany, becoming the target of racist abuse.
Ozil was involved in more controversy after he criticised China's treatment of ethnic Uighur Muslims in the western region of Xinjiang.
China - who had become the Premier League's most lucrative overseas broadcast market - cancelled the live coverage of Arsenal's game against Manchester City as part of the furious reaction to his comments.
The midfielder was also removed from the 2020 version of Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) in China.
Amid the political controversy and an unsettling season Ozil and his wife welcomed their daughter, Eda, into the world earlier this week.
Ozil and Gulse - who are currently in lockdown as part of the coronavirus crisis - were delighted that their daughter was 'born in a healthy way'. What a 12 months it's been.
