KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 -- Former Arsenal and Real Madrid star Mesut Ozil has encouraged Malaysia to strengthen investment in youth academies and grassroots development to elevate its football standards.

Ozil, also a German international from 2009 to 2018, said building a strong football ecosystem begins with nurturing young talents through proper education and structured support across all levels of the game.

"What's important in football is making good investments in academies and young people, and supporting amateur and professional clubs," he said at the Malaysia-Turkiye Leadership Summit 2026 at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) here today.

He also stressed that a long-term commitment to youth development could see more...