Mesut Özil
Mesut Özil (born 15 October 1988) is a German football player of Turkish descent. He plays for Fenerbahçe and the German national team.
 Özil in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mesut Özil | ||
| Date of birth | 15 October 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Gelsenkirchen, West Germany | ||
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Fenerbahçe | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1998 | Westfalia 04 Gelsenkirchen | ||
| 1998–1999 | Teutonia Schalke-Nord | ||
| 1999–2000 | Falke Gelsenkirchen | ||
| 2000–2005 | Rot-Weiss Essen | ||
| 2005–2006 | Schalke 04 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2008 | Schalke 04 | 30 | (0) |
| 2008–2010 | Werder Bremen | 71 | (13) |
| 2010–2013 | Real Madrid | 105 | (19) |
| 2013–2021 | Arsenal | 184 | (33) |
| 2021– | Fenerbahçe | 18 | (2) |
| National team | |||
| 2006–2007 | Germany U19 | 11 | (4) |
| 2007–2009 | Germany U21 | 16 | (5) |
| 2009–2018 | Germany | 92 | (23) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:12, 17 January 2021 (UTC) | |||
Özil is often praised for his skill at being an attacking midfielder. He is known for making plenty of assists. In 2011, he made the second most assists with Real Madrid in La Liga with 17 and the most assists in major European competitions with 25.
Club careerEdit
Schalke 04Edit
In 2005, he went to the youth department of FC Schalke 04. He was a midfielder, and his number was 17. He soon played in the Ligapokal, against teams such as FC Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. He was thought to be the "next big thing," but soon left the club.
Werder BremenEdit
In 2008, Mesut Özil moved to Werder Bremen for a reported amount of €4.3 million, signing a contract with the German club until June 30, 2011. He soon became popular in the club, leading them to the 2009 DFB-Pokal final with the winning goal against Bayer Leverkusen. He helped the team make it to the UEFA Cup, but lost to Shakhtar Donetsk.
Real MadridEdit
Because of his impressive performance in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he made his place as one of the best young football athletes in Europe. Teams such as FC Barcelona, Manchester United. and Arsenal wanted him in their squad. Werder Bremen made an agreement with Real Madrid. The transfer amount was believed to be near €15 million. After 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."
His first game was against Hércules, which the team won the game 3-1. His first goal was against Deportivo de La Coruña, which the team won 6-1.
Mesut Özil performed many assists, and in the 2011-12 season he was nominated for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award. Real Madrid maintained its success, and finished in 1st place in the 2011-12 La Liga.
Arsenal
Ozil joined Arsenal in September 2013 at a transfer fee believed to be around €50 million. His first game for Arsenal was against Sunderland in which the team won 3-1, with him making an assist. He was a top performer in his first season, however his form has went down since then.
Club career statisticsEdit
| Club | Season | League | Cup1 | Europe | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Schalke 04 | 2006–07 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 1 |
| 2007–08 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 4 | |
| Total | 30 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 5 | |
| Werder Bremen | 2007–08 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| 2008–09 | 28 | 3 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 47 | 5 | 20 | |
| 2009–10 | 31 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 44 | 11 | 21 | |
| 2010–11 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 71 | 13 | 25 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 26 | 2 | 14 | 106 | 15 | 43 | |
| Real Madrid | 2010–11 | 36 | 6 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 53 | 10 | 25 |
| 2011–12 | 35 | 4 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 52 | 7 | 24 | |
| Total | 71 | 10 | 34 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 2 | 9 | 105 | 17 | 49 | |
| Career totals | 172 | 23 | 64 | 26 | 7 | 10 | 52 | 4 | 23 | 248 | 4000 | 186 | |
International career goalsEdit
| # | Date | Stadium | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 5 2009 | BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany |  South Africa |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |||||
| 2 | June 23 2010 | Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa |  Ghana |
0–1 | 0–1 | 2010 World Cup | |||||
| 3 | October 8 2010 | Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany |  Turkey |
2–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying | |||||
| 4 | June 7 2011 | Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan |  Azerbaijan |
0–1 | 1–3 | UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying | |||||
| 5 | September 2 2011 | Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany |  Austria |
2–0 | 6–2 | UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying | |||||
| 6 | September 2 2011 | Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany | Austria |
4–1 | 6–2 | UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying | |||||
| 7 | October 11 2011 | Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany |  Belgium |
1–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying | |||||
| 8 | November 15 2011 | Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany |  Netherlands |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |||||
| Correct since 15 November 2011 | |||||||||||
RetirementEdit
Őzil stopped playing for the German National Team in July 2018 citing "racism and disrespect".[2][3]
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ "Mesut Özil: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ↑ https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/mesut-ozil-international-retirement-statement-12963681 | Mesut Ozil retires FULL TRANSCRIPT: The explosive words from Arsenal star as he sensationally quits Germany
- ↑ https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/breaking-mesut-ozil-announces-retirement-12962134%7C[permanent dead link] Mesut Ozil retires from Germany duty and slams the "racism and disrespect" he suffered after World Cup - Mi