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What's the story?
Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil has opened up about his departure from La Liga giants Real Madrid, recalling his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo's anger when he was allowed to leave for the North London club.
In case you didn't know...
The German midfielder moved away from the Bernabeu to the Emirates in a £45 million summer transfer in 2013. The move was decided on to make room for then record signing Gareth Bale and was incredibly controversial at the time.
The Los Blancos brigade was in utter disbelief as one of their most talented midfielders was forced out of the club. During his last La Liga season, Ozil recorded the most assists than any other player in the league.
Now it appears that the fans were not the only ones angered by the move.
The heart of the matter
Mesut Ozil has reportedly revealed that his former teammate Ronaldo was angered by the Los Blancos club's decision to offload the German.
According to Spanish publication Marca, Ozil has revealed that Ronaldo was dismayed by the transfer as he had a great partnership with him and the goals that they produced together were partly due to the playmaker's passing and vision on the pitch.
The German believes Ronaldo said of the transfer, "The sale of Ozil is bad news for me. He was the player who best understood my movements in front of goal. I’m very angry that Ozil is being sold."
Then Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger contacted the German, assuring him on a phone call that he would be considered a key player at the Emirates.
Ozil added, "At the weekend I was sure that I would stay at Real Madrid but then I realised that I didn't have the confidence of the coach or the board."
"I am the kind of player that needs this faith and that is what I felt from Arsenal and that is why I joined them."
What's next?
Since joining the Premier League, Ozil has registered 30 goals and 51 assists and the numbers are only set to go up.
Arsenal will return to Premier League action on November 25 when they face Bournemouth.
