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Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil spent three seasons together at Real Madrid, as the pair won a La Liga title as well as a Copa del Rey at the Santiago Bernabeu. The German was the chief orchestrator from midfield for Los Blancos in that period, as he provided a staggering 47 league assists for his teammates in the white shirt.
However, he was surprisingly sold to Arsenal in the summer of 2013, a move that angered Cristiano Ronaldo. Ozil's vision and technique made him a unique player in world football at the time, and his telepathic understanding with Cristiano Ronaldo saw the two linkup with perfect synergy.
Cristiano Ronaldo's partner in crime
Speaking to Spanish publication AS after Ozil's departure, Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that the German international was the one who knew his best moves in front of goal.
"The sale of Ozil is very bad news for me. He was the player who best knew my moves in front of goal...I'm angry about Özil leaving."
Since moving to Arsenal in 2013, Ozil has won 3 FA Cups with Gunners and has gone on to establish himself as one of the best creators in the country despite falling off in recent seasons.
Ozil's crowning moment arrived in 2014, as he played a pivotal role in Germany's FIFA World Cup triumph that year. For Cristiano Ronaldo, however, Ozil's departure was a massive loss, as he lost his goal-provider at Real Madrid.
In an official interview with Arsenal, Ozil lavished praise on Cristiano Ronaldo and claimed that the Portuguese international made him a better player.
“I really enjoyed playing with him because he made me better on the pitch and he’s a great guy off it, too. I gave him loads of assists and he doesn’t need me to remind him of that!"
“It was easy to play with him because you didn’t need to create a lot of chances. Even if I just gave him two passes, he would score two goals and that’s why he’s one of the greatest footballers who’s ever lived.”
The German international also praised Ronaldo's work ethic and claimed that he observed the former Real Madrid man in training from time to time.
“He works really hard and is the first guy to get into the training ground, then the last one to leave.
“He’s very professional and always wants to win, even in the training games. Of course I was looking at what he was doing, even something as simple as just looking at his shooting technique.
Despite Ozil's departure, Cristiano Ronaldo continued to bang in the goals for Real Madrid, as Los Blancos won a staggering 4 UEFA Champions League titles in the five years that followed.
In the summer of 2018, Ronaldo sealed a move to Serie A side in Juventus, where he won the league title in his first season at the club. Ozil and Ronaldo spent just three seasons together, but they developed a bond that made them both better players at the Santiago Bernabeu.
