Mesut Özil : of Germany , A Third-generation Turkish-German Muslim, Europe's Top Young Football Talents of His Attacking Midfielder Performances.
Personal life:
Özil
is a third-generation Turkish-German Muslim, who,
in reference to his game, concludes, "My technique and feeling for the ball
is the Turkish side to my game. The discipline, attitude and always-give-your-all
is
the German part." Although
of Turkish descent, his entire life he has been committed to Germany. According to Özil's own words and the
majority of sources, his ancestors are ethnic Turks
from Devrek, Zonguldak in
northwestern Turkey. However,
there are sources that claim Özil's ancestors are ethnic Kurds.
Özil is a practising
Muslim.
He recites from the Quran before his matches.
Talking to the Berlin-based daily Der Tagesspiegel, Özil said, "I
always do that before I go out [on the pitch]. I pray and my teammates know
that they cannot talk to me during this brief period." He observes fasting during the Islamic
month of Ramadan, but he has
admitted that: "Because of my job I cannot follow Ramadan properly. I do
it only the few days I can, only when I have a free day. But other than that
it's impossible, because you have to drink and eat a lot to stay at peak
fitness." In May 2016, he
performed Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca.
In
2010, Özil received the Bambi
award for
being a prime example of successful integration within German society.
Özil
started dating singer Mandy
Capristo in
2013.
The
relationship ended in October 2014, following reports of Özil being involved
with another woman. On 12
November 2015, Özil and Capristo appeared together at the Bambi awards ceremony
in Berlin.
An Instagram photo
uploaded by Özil used the hashtag #OziStoIsBack,
suggesting that the couple is back together.
Charity:
As
part of the BigShoe project, Özil donated his 2014 World Cup winnings, an
estimated £240,000, to pay for 23 sick Brazilian children to have medical
surgery as a "personal thank you for the hospitality of the people of Brazil."
Media and
sponsorship:
In
2013, Özil signed a sponsorship deal with German sportswear and equipment
supplier Adidas. He has appeared in commercials for Adidas
Predator boots
with other star players such as Lionel
Messi, Gareth
Bale, Luis
Suárez and Robin
van Persie.
In August 2015, Özil starred in the "Create Your Own Game" commercial
for Adidas alongside Messi, Bale, Thomas
Müller and James
Rodríguez. The video of the advert was viewed
over 38 million times in its first 14 days on YouTube. In 2013, Özil launched his own logo.
In
March 2015, Özil was the seventh most popular athlete on Facebook,
behind Cristiano
Ronaldo,
Messi, David
Beckham, Neymar, Kaká and Ronaldinho,
with 28 million Facebook fans, one place ahead of former National
Basketball Association (NBA)
player Michael
Jordan.
Early career :
Özil
began his youth career playing for various clubs in Gelsenkirchen and
then played five years for Rot-Weiss
Essen.
Schalke 04
In
2005, Özil moved to the youth system of Schalke 04. He was deployed a midfielder and wore 17
as his squad number, after starting as a playmaker and central attacking
midfielder in the place of the suspended Lincoln in Ligapokal matches
against Bayer
Leverkusen and Bayern
Munich. On making the first team at Schalke,
he was described as "the next big thing," but after declining an
offer from Schalke 04, claiming that a yearly salary of €1.5 million would not
be enough. he eventually fell out with club management and moved on to Werder Bremen in
January 2008.[11] This
led to Mirko Slomka, the then-Schalke 04 manager, claiming
that Özil would not play another match for Schalke 04.
Werder Bremen: Özil with Werder Bremenin April 2010.
On
31 January 2008, Özil moved to Werder Bremen for
a reported fee of €5 million, signing a contract with the German club until 30
June 2011. Other than Werder Bremen, Hannover
96 and VfB Stuttgart were
reportedly interested as well in binding Özil to their respective clubs,
however did not want to pay such a high transfer fee. After transferring to Werder Bremen,
Özil got the jersey number 11. On 26 April 2008 (30th match day) Özil scored
the go-ahead goal in the 33rd minute against Karlsruher SC, to put his team up 2–1. This was
Özil's very first Bundesliga goal. He played in twelve games throughout the
second half of the season, six times playing in the starting formation,
becoming second with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga at the end of the 2007–08
season.
Although
Bremen failed to get going in their 2008–09 Bundesliga season, eventually
finishing a disappointing 10th, Özil managed to make a significant impact in
most games and came away with a respectable three goals and 15 assists that
highlighted his attacking credentials. He
helped lead the North German club to the 2009
DFB-Pokal with
the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Bayer
Leverkusen in
Berlin. He
also excelled in Europe where he led Werder Bremen to the final of the last
ever UEFA
Cup,
losing out to Shakhtar
Donetsk of
Ukraine.
In
the 2009–10 season, Özil became the key playmaker of Werder Bremen stepping
into the shoes of Brazilian Diego who
had left for Juventus in
the summer for a transfer fee of €24.5 million. On 1 May 2010 (33rd match day),
Özil played his 100th Bundesliga game, scoring the 1–0 lead in a 2–0 win against
his former club Schalke 04. Özil went on and led Werder Bremen to become third
in the league and again to the DFB-Pokal final, however this time it was lost
against Bayern Munich by 0–4. In his second
season,
Bremen finished a respectable third, with Özil contributing 9 goals and 17
assists in 31 league fixture appearances. During the 2009–10 season, Özil was
also declared as the "best player of the first half of the season".
In
total, Özil played 108 games for Werder Bremen in all competitions, scoring 16
goals and giving 55 assists.
Real Madrid :2010–11
season
Özil playing for Real Madrid in 2010.
Due
to his performances in the 2010
FIFA World Cup,
Özil ensured his place among Europe's top young talents. He was sought by teams
likeBarcelona, Arsenal,
and Real
Madrid.
English striker Wayne
Rooney was
one of the many admirers Özil had garnered with his performances in the World
Cup, and had even asked Manchester
United manager Alex
Ferguson to
sign the German playmaker. There
were reports claiming that a deal was struck for a transfer to Barça. Werder
Bremen denied the reports and on 17 August 2010, the team announced that they
had reached an agreement with Real
Madrid for
Özil's transfer. The transfer fee
is believed to have been in the region of €15 million. Upon signing, Özil said, "When
the offer came in to join Real Madrid, there is no decision to make. Let's be
honest – you don't refuse this club. I was in no rush to leave Werder Bremen,
but this is one club you say yes to. They are an institution, a club with a
fantastic history, stadium and squad full of world-class players. The prospect
of performing at the Bernabeu is so awesome you jump straight in." Özil made his debut on 22 August in a
friendly match against Hércules, which Real Madrid won 3–1. His jersey numbers were changed often
before the season started. He was given the number 26 in the pre-season and 19
for his debut. But following the transfer of Rafael
van der Vaart to Tottenham Hotspur,
he was given the vacant 23.
Özil
was brought in to back up teammate Kaká, but due to his surgery, Özil obtained a
starting role. He then made his La Liga debut for Real Madrid as a substitute
for Ángel Di María in the 62nd minute against Mallorca,
which Real Madrid drew 0–0.
He
made his season debut in the Champions
League on
15 September. He got his first assist with Real Madrid in the 74th minute
against Ajax after
he crossed for a Gonzalo
Higuaín goal.
He
walked off the pitch as a second-half substitute to standing ovations in his
first two games as a starter at the Santiago
Bernabéu.
His first goal came in a league match against Deportivo La Coruña on 3 October 2010, in a 6–1 victory. Özil's first Champions League goal
with Real came in the 14th minute against Milan on
19 October 2010. On 22 December,
he made his debut in the Copa
del Rey,
scoring once in an 8–0 victory over Levante.
He
finished the
season with
25 assists, the highest for any player in any major European competition that
season. Özil's performances for Real Madrid during his first season were
praised by media, fans and players.
2011–12 seaso :
Özil
began wearing the number 10 shirt for Real Madrid in 2011–12,
signalling manager José
Mourinho's
intent to use the German international as his main playmaker. On 14 August 2011, Özil scored his
first goal against Barcelona in El
Clásico in
the first leg of the 2011
Supercopa de España. On 17 August 2011, he was sent
off in
the last minute of the second leg of the 2011 Supercopa after an altercation
with Barça forward David
Villa. Özil expressed his desire to end his
football days at the club in an interview with German magazine kicker, saying, "I'd like
to end my career at Real Madrid. I know it will be difficult because I have
many more years ahead of me and many younger and good players will also be out
there, but I want to be part of that future. I know what I'm capable of, and
I'm convinced, I'll stay at Real Madrid many years."
Özil's boots on
display at the Santiago Bernabéu museum.
He
finished atop the La
Liga assists
chart, with 17 assists. On 2 May 2012, he helped Real Madrid to clinch a record
32nd La
Liga title
as he assisted Real's first goal and scored the second goal against Bilbao,
which Real Madrid later won by 3–0. Eleven days later, Özil scored two goals in
the final game of the regular season against RCD
Mallorca,
once again consolidating his excellent performance with the club. The win made
Real the first club in the Spanish top flight to ever reach 100 points in a
single season.
His
fine form with Real Madrid and German national team saw him earn nomination for UEFA
Best Player in Europe Award,
in which he finished tenth, being the youngest player to feature in the Top 10.
2012–13 season:
With
arrival of Luka
Modrić before
the start of the season, some in the media claimed Özil was unhappy at Real
Madrid, but he later rejected such talk and claimed he was happy at the club
and looking forward to compete for his place.
After
the start of the season, he added the Supercopa de España title to his honours. In league play,
he provided an important assist to Cristiano
Ronaldo who
equalised in a 2–2 draw against Barcelona at Camp Nou.
On 6 November, Özil scored a crucial
89th-minute free-kick to rescue a draw for Real Madrid and secure a point
against Borussia Dortmund.
He
continued his fine form in the league as he scored another brace against Real
Valladolid to rescue Real Madrid in a 3–2 win. He then went on to finish the season
with 29 assists, although Real Madrid did not win any silverware except for the
Supercopa de España, Özil's performance was praised. At the end of the season,
Özil had 26 assists, more than any other player in the leagues.
Arsenal :
Özil taking a free kick for Arsenalagainst Stoke City on 22 September 2013.
On
2 September 2013, Özil agreed to join English side Arsenal. Both the fee paid for Özil as well as
the contract duration were undisclosed, but they are believed to be around
£42.5 million (€50 million then) for a five-year deal. The transfer makes him the most
expensive German football player of all time. Özil was assigned the number 11 shirt
and the centre-attacking midfield role by the team.
However,
contract leaks in January 2016 have revealed that the record fee was actually
broken down to £37.4 million (€44 million then) with remaining £5.1 million (€6
million then) split evenly over six years from July 2014 subject to Champions
League qualification. A buy-back option also allows Real
Madrid a
48-hour first option on Özil should Arsenal agree
a sale for their playmaker to another Spanish club.
Özil
said of the transfer, "At the weekend, I was certain I would stay at Real
Madrid but afterwards I realised I did not have the faith from the coach or the
bosses. I am a player who needs this faith and that is what I have felt from
Arsenal, which is why I have joined."
In
Özil's first press conference, he said: "I would have come here for free,
that wouldn't have been a problem." Özil additionally stated thatArsène
Wenger played
an important role in his decision: "When I spoke to Arsène Wenger on the
phone, he was full of respect, and as a player, I need that." Several Real Madrid players were
dissatisfied with Özil leaving the club, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who said,
"He was the player who best knew my moves in front of goal ... I'm angry
about Özil leaving."
2013–14 season:
Özil
made his debut for Arsenal in their league game away to Sunderland on
14 September 2013. He assisted Olivier
Giroud's
goal in the 11th minute of the match as they went on to win 3–1.
Three
days after that, he made his Champions
League debut
for Arsenal against Marseille.[45] Just
over three weeks after making his debut for Arsenal, he made his home debut
against Stoke
City in
a 3–1 victory. He was involved in all three goals, with two assists and a free
kick which was saved but fell into Aaron
Ramsey's
path.
He
scored his first goal for Arsenal, a brilliantly controlled finish from a
Ramsey cross, in a 2–0 win against Napoli in
the Champions League.
On
19 October, he scored his first two Premier
League goals
during the 4–1 home win against Norwich
City. Özil played in all six of Arsenal's
games in November. The German playmaker provided the cross forJack
Wilshere's
second goal against Marseille and gave further assists for Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu
Flamini in
the 3–0 win over Cardiff
City.
Özil missed the chance to score his fourth Arsenal goal when he saw his penalty
in the win over Marseille saved by Steve
Mandanda.
Özil
was again short-listed for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award, along with former
teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. Özil
was also featured on the UEFA
Team of the Year. Özil
began December with two goals in as many games against Hull
City and Everton.
A minor shoulder injury forced him out of the final game of December in a win
againstNewcastle
United.
After the 6–3 defeat at Manchester
City in
which he made another assist, Özil was involved in an altercation with teammate Per
Mertesacker,
who was angry with Özil's failure to thank the travelling supporters, an
omission for which he subsequently apologised via Facebook.
Özil
started four of Arsenal's six games in January. The playmaker missed Arsenal's
victory over Cardiff City on New Year's Day with a shoulder injury before
returning to make a late appearance from the bench against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA
Cup.
The 25-year-old produced a slide-rule pass for Lukas
Podolski to
score his first goal against Coventry
City and
provided the ball for Santi Cazorla's goal against Southampton at
the end of the month to take his assist tally to 10.
February
was a difficult month for Özil, as he struggled to reach the heights he showed
in his first few months at the club. The German playmaker pulled off a brilliant
piece of skill to win a penalty against Bayern
Munich in
the Champions
League knockout phase,
but his spot-kick was saved by Manuel
Neuer.
Speaking before the draw with Manchester
United,
Arsène Wenger spoke about Özil, saying, "He has done well, he is adapting
as well to the Premier League – we have seen it before [that it takes time]. I
wouldn't like to put too much pressure on him because he has been a top-class
player until now. He didn't have the best of games [at Liverpool]
(a 5–1 loss, where Özil was the centre of attention due to a bad performance)
but that can happen. He works very hard to adapt to the physical level of the
Premier League and for me he is an exceptional player."
On
8 March, Özil scored his first goal of 2014 in a 4–1 FA Cup quarter-final win
over Everton. Özil was showing
signs of old form and started in Arsenal's second leg Champions League last 16
clash with Bayern Munich. He was
substituted at half-time, and the reasoning behind it was that Özil had
suffered a hamstring injury and will face a month out, missing key fixtures
against Chelsea and
Manchester City.
On
20 April, Özil made an instant impact with a lively display against Hull
City when
he returned to the Arsenal team in a 3–0 win. He
then returned to goalscoring form with Arsenal's second in their 3–0 win over
Newcastle United, and then assisted Olivier Giroud's header.Manager Wenger
praised Özil's impact upon his return, saying, "Mesut Özil is very
important for the team. He's been missed while he's been injured. We've missed
some very important players in an important period of the season. We're really
pleased to have people like him back in the team and performing at the top
level because that's what we need."
Özil
played all three of Arsenal's remaining fixtures during the last month of his
debut season in England. The German playmaker came off at half-time in
extra-time of Arsenal's 2014
FA Cup final victory
over Hull City at Wembley.[59] Speaking
before the FA Cup final, Per Mertesacker praised his compatriot's impact on the
side during his first season in England. "You could see from the start
that he is one of the best players in Europe," said Mertesacker. "His
contributions and assists are vital for any club so we are happy to have him
back."
Özil
completed his maiden season at Arsenal with 13 assists and seven goals in all
competitions spanning a course of 40 games.
2014–15 season:
.jpg){kind=link}
Özil in a league match against Aston Villa
in February 2015
Özil
returned to club training in the middle of August after participating in Germany's 2014
FIFA World Cup win
in Brazil. On 23 August, Özil made his first appearance of the
season in
the 2–2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park. On 27 August, he played a part in Alexis
Sánchez's
winning goal in the second leg of the Champions
League qualification
play-off against Beşiktaş,
playing a one-two with Jack
Wilshere in
the build-up to the goal. On 20
September, Özil opened the scoring and assisted Danny
Welbeck in
a 3–0 victory againstAston
Villa at Villa
Park.
Özil featured in the three following games and started in Arsenal's Champions
League group stage victory
against Galatasaray,
providing an assist for Alexis Sánchez in a 4–1 win. On 8 October, the DFB declared
that Özil would be sidelined for between 10 and 12 weeks with a left knee
injury obtained during a 2–0 defeat at Chelsea three
days prior to the international break. The prognosis would rule him out of the
remainder of Arsenal's Champions League group matches, as well as four
international fixtures.
On
11 January 2015, Özil made his first appearance in three months as a
73rd-minute substitute in a 3–0 win against Stoke
City.
He
scored on his return to the starting line-up in Arsenal's 3–2 win at Brighton
& Hove Albion in
the fourth round of the FA
Cup on
25 January, latching onto a pass from Tomáš Rosický before scoring Arsenal's second goal.
In
his first Premier League start of the year, Özil scored once and provided an
assist for Olivier
Giroud as
Arsenal beat Aston Villa 5–0 at home on 1 February.
The
following week, Özil scored the opening goal in the Gunners' 2–1 North
London derby defeat
to Tottenham Hotspur at White
Hart Lane.
On
4 April, he scored the second goal for his team in a 4–1 win over Liverpool. After a 3–1 win over Hull, manager
Arsène Wenger praised him by saying "Overall his influence was very
strong."
Özil
followed up his fine form with two assists for Alexis
Sánchez in
a 2–1 win against Reading in
the 2014-15
FA Cup semi-final
on 18 April.
Özil
started in the 2015
FA Cup Final as Arsenal thumped Aston
Villa in
a commanding 4–0 victory on 30 May, concluding his second season at Arsenal with
five goals and seven assists in 31 apps across all competitions.
2015–16 season:
Özil playing for Arsenal in 2015
After
scoring during a pre-season game against Lyon,
Özil received praise from his manager, with Wenger calling for him to have his
best season yet in Arsenal colours. On
2 August 2015, Özil started for Arsenal in the 2015
FA Community Shield,
where the Gunners beat league champions Chelsea 1–0
at Wembley Stadium. A week later, he made his first appearance of the Premier
League season
in Arsenal's 2–0 opening day defeat to West
Ham United.
Özil
scored his first goal of the 2015–16
season in
a 3–0 home victory over Manchester United on 4 October. He had earlier assisted
Alexis Sánchez to give the Gunners the lead in the sixth minute of the match. Özil was named man of the match in a
3–0 win atWatford's Vicarage
Road on
17 October, supplying assists for Sánchez and Olivier Giroud. On 20 October, Özil scored his firstChampions
League goal
of the season in Arsenal's 2–0 group stage home win over Bayern
Munich.
He
set a new Premier League record being the first player to assist in six consecutive
matches when setting up Kieran
Gibbs's
for 1–1 in the derby versus Tottenham Hotspur on 8 November 2015.
He
then extended that run to seven straight games with an assist against West
Bromwich Albion, before scoring his second Champions League goal of the season
in a three-goal victory at home to Dinamo Zagreb. He
then scored for the second game in a row when he clipped in the opener in a 1–1
draw at Norwich
City.
Özil
continued his run of good form by providing four assists in the next three
games, against Aston
Villa, Manchester
City,
and Sunderland,
helping his team win all three matches. On 28 December 2015, Özil assisted the
first goal and scored the second in a 2–0 win against Bournemouth,
creating nine scoring chances in total – the most in a single Premier League
game by any player during the season.
On
24 January 2016, Özil played his 100th game for the Gunners in a 1–0 home
defeat against Chelsea in
the Premier League.
The
next Premier League game against Southampton at
home on 2 February saw Özil creating 10 chances – beating the previous record,
9 created and held by him during the season. However,
this proved in vain as the match ended 0–0 with the Gunners slumping into 4th
as they failed to score in 3 consecutive Premier League games.
He
then ended the Gunners' barren goal-scoring run in the Premier League with the
opener against Bournemouth in
a 2–0 away win on 7 February.
Özil
delivered his 17th assist in the Premier League from a free kick for Danny
Welbeck to
head in the winner deep into stoppage time as Arsenal came
from behind to beat league leaders Leicester
City 2–1
on 14 February.
After
a 2–0 home defeat to Barcelona in
the Champions League, Özil scored and assisted in a 3–2 defeat at Old Trafford
to Manchester
United as
the Gunners lost further ground in the title race.[90] Özil
started in defeats to Watford in
the FA Cup (where he assisted Arsenal's only goal with a backheel) and Barcelona in
the Champions League as Arsenal crashed out in successive cup competitions in
March.
Özil
assisted Olivier
Giroud's
second goal in his last Premier
League match
of the season against Aston
Villa in
a 4–0 home victory as the Gunners finished second ahead of fierce rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.
That assist was Özil's 19th of the season in the league, a record only Thierry
Henry could
better with 20 in 2002-03 in
Premier League history.
Özil ended his third season at Arsenal with 8
goals and 20 assists in all club competitions, which won him the Arsenal Player
of the Season award.
International career:
Özil
playing for Germany
in 2009.
Özil playing for Germany
in 2011.
In
an interview with FourFourTwo magazine,
Özil spoke about his choice to play for the German
national team:
"I am third generation in Germany: my father grew up here. Turkey will
always be a special country for me but I did not doubt my decision to play for
Germany – ever. I started to play for Germany in the youth teams."
In
September 2006, Özil was called up for the Germany
under-17 team.
He was a member of the German
under-21 team from
2007. On 29 June 2009, Özil was selected the man of the match in a 4–0 win over England during
the U-21
European Championship final.
He
made his debut for the senior
side during
a friendly match against Norway on
11 February 2009. He scored his first goal for the senior team in his third
appearance, another friendly, against South
Africa on
5 September in Leverkusen at
the BayArena.
On
an individual level, Özil was rewarded for his outstanding Bundesliga play by
being named the best player of the first leg of the 2009 season.
2010 FIFA World Cup:
Özil
was selected for Germany's
squad for
the 2010
FIFA World Cup in
South Africa, starting in all of the team's matches. Özil provided an assist
for Cacau's
goal to the 4–0 final score against Australia in
Germany's first group game. He scored a left-footed half-volley from the edge
of thepenalty
area against Ghana in
the final group game, ensuring Germany progressed to the second round as group winners.
On
27 June 2010, Özil played in Germany's win over England in
the last
16 match,
setting up the fourth goal with a cross to Thomas
Müller as
Germany triumphed 4–1.[98] During
the quarter-final match against Argentina,
he assisted the second goal for Miroslav Klose with
a cross to ensure the 4–0 final score for the Germans. FIFA announced
that he was among the ten tournament players nominated for the Golden
Ball.
UEFA Euro 2012
Özil
was one of the leading forces in Germany's qualification for UEFA
Euro 2012,
scoring five times during the campaign as Germany won all ten of its games to
top their group.
Özil
also confirmed his reputation as a decisive passer, as he provided seven
assists, more than any European international during Euro 2012 qualification.
When
asked about his country's chances at Euro
2012,
Özil simply replied, "We have the potential to beat anyone and we have
what it takes to win the title."
On
29 February 2012, Özil was recognised as Germany's best international of the
year for 2011 prior to kick-off at a friendly against France inBremen.
Özil's Germany were
drawn with the
Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal into Group
B at
Euro 2012, widely touted as the "Group
of Death."
Özil
registered two assists, created nine chances, and claimed the Man of the Match
award in Germany's 4–2 quarter-final win over Greece.
He
then scored Germany's only goal (a penalty) in their 2–1 loss to Italy in the
semi-finals.
His
performance at Euro
2012 earned
him two Carlsberg Man of the Match Awards. He finished the tournament as the joint-highest
assist provider (3) and was named in the UEFA
Euro Team of the Tournament.[108]
2014 FIFA World Cup : Özil ended the 2014 FIFA World
Cup qualification campaign as Germany's top scorer with eight goals.
Following
an injury to Marco Reus in a warm-up game, Özil was moved from his customary
No.10 role into the left-winger position for the majority of the tournament. He
started all seven of Germany's 2014
FIFA World Cup games,
and helped Germany make history by becoming the first European team to win the
World Cup in South America. Özil scored the decisive goal in the 119th minute
of Germany's 2–1 round
of 16 victory
over Algeria,
a match widely praised as one of the most entertaining of the tournament.
Özil
then provided an assist for Sami
Khedira in
Germany's 7–1 semi-final win
over Brazil.
The goal Özil assisted, with a clever pass, made the score 5–0 to Germany after
just 29 minutes. The shocking nature of the 5-goal flurry generated worldwide
astonishment.
In
the Final,
Özil played 120 minutes before being replaced by Arsenal teammate Per
Mertesacker.
Germany were crowned World Champions with a 1–0 win. After the trophy was presented to the
Germany team, UEFA President Michel
Platini asked
Özil for his match shirt as a souvenir, and Özil obliged.
Özil
led the tournament in passes completed in the final-third (171), was ranked
joint-second in chances created (17), behind only Lionel
Messi (23),
and ranked second overall in possessions won in the final-third (6).
2016 UEFA EURO:
On
12 June 2016, Ozil completed the full 90 minutes of Germany's opening Euro 2-0
defeat of Ukraine, assisting Bastian
Schweinsteiger in
scoring the winner.
Style
of play
:
.jpg){kind=link}
Özil with Real Madrid in 2011.
A
quick, creative and technical player, Özil
excels in an advanced playmaking role,
as a winger on either flank, or as an
attacking midfielder through the centre of the pitch.
An
elegant left-footed player, his main attributes are his vision,
his
control, movement, passing range, and accurate crossing ability,
which
allow him to create chances, and provide many assists for team-mates.
Due to his creative ability and offensive
prowess as a playmaker, Özil has been called "assist-king" in the
media.
As
of January 2016, Özil has the best ratio of assists per game in the history of
the Premier League.
Germany under-21 manager Horst
Hrubesch once
said, "We in Germany are prone to rave about foreign players. We praise Wayne
Rooney to
the heavens, likewise Ronaldo or Messi. But we have our own Messi. Our Messi is
Özil."
In
the UEFA
Euro 2012qualifier
against Belgium,
he scored a goal which has been described as a "work of art."
Germany coach Joachim
Löw hails
Özil for his "genius moments" and his performance without the ball.
Former
Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso described
Özil as "the kind of player you don't find these days," adding,
"He understands the game, sees things, combines and thrives between the
lines, unlocking teams." José
Mourinho,
who coached Özil for a time at Real Madrid said, "Özil is unique. There is
no copy of him – not even a bad copy."
Assistant
coach of the Germany
national football team Hans-Dieter
Flick said,
"We are proud to have him in our team. When he has the ball, you can feel
the excitement and astonishment among the fans."
Former Netherlands and Milan forward Ruud
Gullit labelled
Özil as a "technically perfect" player who has "total control of
the ball" and a "great imagination."
Former Germany teammate Phillip
Lahm said
of Özil "His vision is probably the best I have ever seen... He is a dream
for strikers.",[134] while Mario
Gómez called
Özil "probably the most brilliant footballer we have or ever had".
Despite
his reputation as an offensive playmaker, Özil has also drawn criticism at
times for his lack of physicality and his low defensive work-rate off the ball.
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His
nicknames have included "der Rabe" (the Raven, or in Spanish,
"El Cuervo") – playing on his smart and opportunistic style of
play,
and
at Werder Bremen “der neue Diego” (the new Diego), in reference to
Brazilian Diego,
whose playmaker role he inherited,
"German Messi"
and
"German Zidane."
At Real Madrid, he was supposedly called
"Nemo" – in reference to the clownfish Nemo from the Pixar movie Finding
Nemo.
His attacking
midfield partnership
in Germany internationals with young talent Mario
Götze has
earned the "magic duo" the nickname "Götzil," alluding to
their similar playing positions, technique, abilities and style of play.