Arsenal and Germany star Ozil labels Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo a “genuis”

Mesut Oezil of Germany in action during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group G match between Germany and Portugal at Arena Fonte Nova on June 16, 2014 in Salvador, Brazil.

Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil has praised Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, labelling the forward a “genius.”

Ozil, whose Germany side defeated Ronaldo’s Portugal 4-0 in the opening match of Group G, was talking to the Times of India and was extremely complimentary of the Real Madrid man.

The pair were team-mates at Madrid until last summer when Ozil left to join Arsenal in a £42 million deal.

Despite Ronaldo’s poor personal start to the tournament Ozil said that he believed the forward could still have a big impact on the tournament and that the German defence deserved credit for the way in which they shut him down.

Ozil was also positive about Germany’s chances in the tournament, saying that it was no surprise that they had started strongly, the Germans face Ghana and the USA in their remaining fixtures.

“Cristiano Ronaldo had given his all for Real Madrid,” the 25-year-old said.

“From my experiences in training sessions with him I know he is truly a genius. To be able to contain him the way we did was commendable for our defence.

“Germany have always played well in the World Cup. History proved that, since we were the first nation to play 100 matches at the World Cup.

“And it was the perfect start to the cup, beating Portugal 4-0. To be able to win against them with such a convincing margin proved we are ready. But there is a long way to go.

“We are confident and that reflected in our performance. We know we have trained hard, [and] we have tried to strengthen ourselves a little bit more because it’s a World Cup and we shall continue to do the same.”

Ozil was also asked about his own personal form, something for which Ozil has come in for a lot of criticism in recent weeks. Despite starting positively at Arsenal Ozil’s form waned towards the end of the season and he was even booed by some Germany fans at a recent friendly.

The German midfielder though, responded defiantly to the criticism levelled at him, saying that the team’s performance was more important than that of an individual.

“That’s their view,” he said of his critics.

“What I know for certain is I have the confidence of our coach. So far, he’s been satisfied with me and that gives me immense pleasure, to be able to earn the faith of the coach.

“When the team starts so strongly, what can you ask from an individual? It was a team effort and we played our roles perfectly. We need to continue to do so in our remaining matches. But we have to be careful since it does not go that way in every match, especially in a World Cup.”