The story behind Mesut Ozil’s Ballon d’Or nomination

Mesut Ozil

Mesut Ozil is one of five players from the Premier League to be nominated for FIFA’s prestigious Ballon d’Or award, after a fantastic 2013 for club(s) and country.

Ozil has been acknowledged in the 23-man list as one of the best players in the planet this year, with the winner set to be unveiled on 13 January at the award ceremony in Zurich.

Major honours in calendar year

The German hasn’t won any trophies this year, after Real Madrid couldn’t depose Barcelona from the top of the league table, while they were also beaten by local rivals Atletico in the final of the Copa del Rey.

On the European front, Real were beaten in the semi-final of the Champions League by Borussia Dortmund as they failed to turn around a 4-1 defeat in Germany in the first leg.

Where Ozil has really shone, though, is when playing for his country. The midfielder bagged nine goals in Germany’s World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign, making him their top scorer as they went unbeaten in Group C, winning nine and drawing one. His goal against Sweden in October sparked an incredible comeback as they beat the Scandinavians 5-3 in a stunning match.

Key stats

In La Liga during 2013, Ozil’s chance conversion rate was breathtaking. With a shot accuracy of 82 per cent, he scored five league goals from just 11 shots; a shots per goal ratio of just 2.2. His talent often lies in setting up goals, however, and in 15 Spanish top-flight games he registered an incredible ten assists with 35 key passes.

So far for Arsenal this season he has created 23 chances in the Premier League, notching four assists and grabbing two goals of his own in eight matches. His creativity and vision are talents Arsene Wenger values highly, and despite always looking for that key ball through he has still managed an overall pass accuracy of 86 per cent in the English top flight.

Why he deserves his nomination

It’s incredible to think that, although he has achieved so much, Ozil is still only 25 years old. He was one of the stand-out players in both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, and in 2013 he has continued to improve. His arrival at Arsenal has helped send the Gunners to the top of the Premier League table. His ability to not only score goals, but create them by the hatful, makes him a deserved nominee.

Does he have a chance of winning?

In a word, no. Lionel Messi and Ozil’s former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo have achieved such stellar levels of achievement in 2013 that no-one else really stands a chance. An outside bet would be Franck Ribery, who has been instrumental for Bayern Munich this year, but Ozil hasn’t done quite enough to warrant recognition as the best player in the world just yet.