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Arsenal is contending for top of the EPL table and is posing a very serious title challenge after a considerably long time. Having seen 8 consecutive trophy-less seasons, this finally may be the year for Arsenal to end their trophy drought.
One could argue that the face behind the upwards morale lift in the Arsenal camp is partially due to their most expensive player Mesut Özil. Even Arsene Wenger is not shy to accept that the German has brought back belief and lifted the spirits in the Gunners’ dressing room.
“He has given a lift to everyone at the club and belief – and belief is a part of the success in football.”
Arsene Wenger, Arsenal manager
Early Years:
In 2005, Özil joined the youth ranks of FC Schalke 04. Özil was described as the ‘next big thing in Europe’ after making the first team there. However, his association with Schalke did not last long as he moved on to Werder Bremen in 2008 after a fall out with the club’s management. The playmaker moved to Werder Bremen for a reported fee of €4.3 million.
The German stepped in the shoes of Brazilian playmaker Diego and led Bremen to the 2009 DFB-Pokal, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. Özil also excelled in Europe and helped the north German club reach the final of the last ever EUFA cup. In his second season at Bremen, Özil made his impact felt and finished the season with a commendable tally of 9 goals and 17 assists in 31 league appearances helping Bremen end the season placed 3rd in the Bundesliga.
Real Madrid:
Özil’s magnificent performance for Germany in the 2010 World Cup earned him a place among the ten Golden Ball nominees. His performances in the World Cup grabbed the eyeballs of Europe’s top clubs and the German was sought by the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Arsenal. Real Madrid won the chase and acquired the midfielder’s services for a fee believed to be in the range of €15 million.
The wide-eyed midfielder started with the no. 23 jersey, earlier worn by the likes of Beckham and Van Der Vaart. Brought in as a backup for Kaka, Özil eventually grabbed the Brazilian’s starting role, who was sidelined due to surgery. Özil played impressive football and forced Kaka to warm the bench on several occasions. Özil had an eventful debut season with Los Blancos. He ended the season tallying 10 goals and 25 assists for the club. Özil was the player to grab the most number of assists in any major European competition that season.
Özil’s performance in his debut season was superb and it made him an instant fan favourite. It also earned him the no. 10 jersey and made him then-manager Jose Mourinho’s main playmaker. The German continued with his incredible displays in the second season and was instrumental in Real Madrid’s season which saw them winning the La Liga with a record 100 points.
Özil finished the season topping the La Liga assists table, with 17 league assists. He scored a total of 6 goals and accumulated 24 assists in all competitions for Los Blancos. His extravagant displays for Real Madrid and the German national team earned him a nomination for UEFA Best Player in Europe award, in which he finished 10th, being youngest in the top 10. Despite the third season being a disappointing one for ‘The Whites’, Özil managed to continue his run of good form and ended the season with 10 goals and 19 assists.
Özil had successfully managed to create a special place in the hearts of the Madridistas in the three seasons. However, the news of his sale to Arsenal in the late hours of the deadline day was a huge blow for the Real Madrid fans. The transfer was not at all expected and managed to stun everyone.
Arsenal:
Arsene Wenger made Mesut Özil the most expensive German player and also the costliest Gunner when he spent a fee believed to be in the range of £42.5 million. Özil was assigned the no. 11 jersey and his favourite role of centre attacking midfielder. Özil took to the EPL like a fish does to water and provided an assist in his debut game itself. Özil came like a breath of fresh air for a lacklustre Arsenal who started the season poorly with a 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa at home. In 21 games, Özil has managed to score 4 goals and stack up 8 assists for the Gunners in the EPL.
International Career:
”We in Germany are prone to rave about foreign players. We praise Wayne Rooney to the heavens, likewise (Cristiano) Ronaldo or Messi. But we have our own Messi. Our Messi is Özil.”
Germany Under-21 manager Horst Hrubesch, 2009.
Horst Hrubesch’s quote leaves little to imagination and basically sums up how important Mesut Özil is for the German national team. Wearing the no. 8 jersey, Özil has always been a vital cog for Germany’s aspirations. He has successfully led Germany to the semi-finals of 2010 World Cup and 2012 UEFA Euro. He has always been a pivotal part of the German national team and will continue to do so for a long time.
Mesut Özil highlights a different style of football which sees him create chances out of nothing. His dribbling abilities and ball control have often led to comparisons with the likes of Zidane and Figo. He is equally good without the ball and uses his incredible pace to run into space. The most attractive feature of the German remains his selflessness and the ability to create a chance out of nothing for his teammates.
Jose Mourinho best described the playmaker as ‘the best no. 10 in the world and everyone sees a bit Zidane and Figo in him’.
“Özil is unique. There is no copy of him – not even a bad copy.”
Jose Mourinho
