Mesut Ozil experienced many ups and downs in his career, but it cannot be denied that his peak period was the embodiment of beautiful and elegant football.
He is elegant on the field even when his performance declines. Mesut Ozil was born in Gelsenkirchen, a city on the Emscher River (a tributary of the Rhine River), into a family of Turkish and Muslim origin – he always prays before every match – plays football with his head and left leg. art.
Ozil has the ability to break down any defense, twisting his opponent’s back with a movement of the waist or ankle. For a long time, he was also the nucleus of the German team, acting as a launching pad for the team and breаking formations with his final pass.
Ozil’s best time was when he grew up at Real Madrid, with the aura of a leader in a German team that lacked a pitch director after the Michael Ballack cycle.
FIRST STEPS IN LIFE
Growing up in a working-class neighborhood of Gelsenkirchen, Mesut was signed by Schalke before he was 17 years old. After more than 3 years, the club reluctantly parted ways with him.
Schalke accused the press of Ozil asking for a salary increase. This action helps the club avoid being criticized by the media and fans for losing one of the greatest talents in its history. Furthermore, at that time the team owned an Ivan Rakitic who played extremely well.
Werder Bremen came to sign a contract and his career continued to progress. Joachim Low sought out Mesut and named him in the German team during preparations for the 2010 World Cup, the first world football championship held in an African country.
At the time, his defensive contribution, generosity with the ball and adaptability were questioned by many. Because, German is not like other teammates.
But Ozil, on the pitch, talks about beautiful football. At that time, many experts named him as one of the heirs of German football legends with their own marks such as Bernd Schuster, Felix Magath, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Wolfgang Overath and Franz Beckenbauer.
From Werder Bremen to Germany, he developed his talent and shone at the 2010 World Cup. This was the launching pad for the player born in 1988 to join Real Madrid, the team looking for stability in the second period of Florentino Perez’s tenure. chair.There are 5 clubs interested in Ozil after his journey in South Africa: Arsenal, MU, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barca.
“When Barca called me, I asked why Guardiola did not participate in the negotiations and they explained that he was on vacation,” Ozil described years later in his autobiography Magic of the Game.
“Guardiola did not send me any messages that he wаnted me,” he continued. “Instead, Mourinho did a lot for me. He was convincing, emotional and put effort into negotiations. This is completely opposite to Barca. That’s why I decided to choose Jose and Real Madrid.” .
SUCCESS WITH REAL MADRID AND MOURINHO
Being a bit of an introvert and a party guy, Jose Mourinho’s strong hand became useful to Ozil. The Portuguese strategist asked him to run like anyone else.
Over time, a few private Spanish classes were enough for him to integrate into the social life at the Valdebebas training center, which was so much glory but also full of pressure.
In Valdebebas, behind the football is an ordinary Ozil; an excellent swimmer; A great table tennis player and also an excellent PlayStation player. He is passionate about music, always portraying the image of a passionate fan of Turkish pop and hip-hop music.
Three years at the Royal Spanish Club were very important for Ozil. He admitted that he idolized Zinedine Zidane – who then took on the role of advisor, responsible for liaising between President Perez and the team. “I was especially nervous when I met Zizou.”
As a boy, Ozil always followed Zidane. He named the square near his house “Affenkafig” (monkey cage). There, Mesut tried to imitate the French legend’s ball handling movements. Thanks to childhood exercises, he recreated many of Zizou’s plays with Real Madrid and Germany.
The memory that Ozil left behind at the Bernabeu was positive. Both football and personal. Those who lived with Mesut every day remember him as a reserved but friendly guy.
“Problems off the football field could have been caused by his father, Mr. Mustafa, who manipulated more than carried his son”, assured the noble sector of Real Madrid. “Mesut is not involved in anything.”Jorge Valdano held the position of Real Madrid’s sporting director when Ozil arrived. “We had a meeting with Mesut, Mourinho and I. We convinced him. He is a very attractive, talented player who participates a lot in matches.”
“Then, when Mesut left, I thought letting him go was not a wise move,” Valdano analyzed. “At Ozil’s age, he still had a lot of potential to grow.”
The Argentine legend highly appreciated Ozil’s qualities: “I did not follow Mesut’s career in detail, but when he came to Madrid, he showed his natural talent in an attractive and effective way. A bridge technique rather than strength”.
One of the players that Cristiano Ronaldo wants to play with the most is Ozil. The German midfielder created many opportunities and space for CR7 to explоde (“Mesut helped me become the best striker” – the Portuguese player sent a message).
After 159 matches with “Los Merengues”, Ozil scored 27 goals and made 80 assists. 31 of these were for Ronaldo to score and thereby reap many personal achievements.
Ozil’s adventure in Spain was unfinished for many reasons. Before moving to Arsenal in 2013, he left in the minds of Madridistas the image of a player associated with beautiful football and elegance, with his own rhythm that is easy to recognize.
More than a decade ago, in Barcelona, 10 me𝚗 fought for Lionel Messi. At Real Madrid, Ozil fights for 10 others. He always travels 12-14 km per match and is one of Mourinho’s favorite “number 10s” in his coaching career.
Ozil always runs for everyone, at least at Real Madrid. For him, happiness is standing on the field, distributing passes into goals. That is artistic football that few people have been able to do in the past decade.