Tottenham Hotspurs manger Jose Mourinho has hit back at his former player Mesut Ozil, after the Arsenal playmaker said in a Twitter Q&A that he would rather retire than be signed by the Spurs. Quizzed about Ozil’s comments at a press conference, a straight-faced Mourinho immediately retorted: “But who told him that Tottenham is interested in signing him?”
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Ozil was once on top of the game — a world champion and Arsenal’s star player. But the genius playmaker has now fallen out of favour with his North London club. The 32-year-old player has been ousted from Arsenal’s starting squad. Some believe this is punishment for Ozil’s politics and advocacy, seen as controversial. Others believe his unreliable performances and Ozil’s attitude on the pitch are to blame.
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Ozil has had a long history of souring relationships with his managers. Whatever the reasons for his bad turn at Arsenal, Ozil is being relegated to the fringes of the team, clocking in more minutes of social media promotion than of actual play, despite his diehard fans and hefty paycheque (£350,000 a week, a whopping £100,000 more than star striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang). So, what exactly happened? We take a look at the rise and fall of a creative powerhouse — and his possible resurrection.
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The German player of Turkish origin has a huge following both in real life and on the Internet. But his story goes farther back than that. Born to father Mustafa Ozil and mother Gulizar Ozil in West Germany in 1988, Ozil began his senior career in the Bundesliga in 2005, playing for hometown club Shalke 04. The club was confident Ozil would be a star player for them. But Ozil turned down a yearly salary of €1.5 million and fell out of favour with the club and with manager Mirko Slomka.
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In 2008, Ozil moved to Werder Bremen for a reported €5 million. During the 2009-10 season, he was named the best player of the first leg of the Bundesliga season. Rising in status, Ozil made his international debut in 2009, where he reached semi-finals of the Fifa World Cup in 2010 at the age of 22 and took the world by storm.
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After his impressive performance at the World Cup, it seemed like every major team in the world was interested in snatching up Ozil. Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid reportedly expressed desires to sign him; Wayne Rooney reportedly asked ManU boss Alex Ferguson to bring him onto their team. But Ozil ultimately went to Real Madrid in 2010 for a reported fee of €15 million, stating: “Let’s be honest — you don’t refuse this club.”
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Ozil’s move to Real Madrid was, first and foremost, a backup plan for injured Brazilian player Kaka. Kaka was supposed to be Real Madrid’s star player. He had the second highest transfer fee at the time. But Kaka was plagued with injuries and was out for nearly an entire season — so Ozil stepped into the starting squad, and quickly became the team’s star playmaker.
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Ozil’s first La Liga appearance came in the 62nd minute of a match against Mallorca, as a substitute for Angel Di Maria. He quickly rose in rank at the club and amongst its fans. He more than once received standing ovations as he left the pitch. He ended the season with a record-breaking 25 assists — the most for any player that season in a major European competition.
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Ozil got his famed No 10 shirt in 2011-12 with Real Madrid, where he played under none other than Jose Mourinho. He also became the youngest player to make the Top 10 of the Uefa Best Player in Europe Award, introduced in 2011, where he placed 10th.
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But by 2013, he was ready for a move. He went to Arsenal for an undisclosed amount, which was believed to be £42.5 million, making him the most expensive German footballer of all time. Ozil ended Arsenal’s nine-year trophy drought, helping to win the FA Cup.
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Spanish newspapers reported Cristiano Ronaldo was telling teammates: “I’m angry about Ozil leaving.” Ozil meanwhile suggested that his relationship with his manager had soured — not the first or last time this would be the case.
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“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,” said Ozil. “I am a player who needs this faith and that is what I have felt from Arsenal, which is why I have joined.” In a sad turn of events, Ozil would seem to lose that faith by the time 2020 rolled around. But not before making a massive mark on the team under the guidance of his beloved boss, Arsene Wenger.
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Ozil experienced highs and low in his early days at Arsenal, dropping his top form and regaining it. But after a hamstring injury took him out of the game for a month in 2014, Ozil came back stronger than ever. That same year, Ozil helped Germany win the 2014 Fifa World Cup, becoming a global champion.
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Ozil’s star was on the rise. In 2015, he set a new English Premier Record while playing a derby against the Spurs. He became the first player to assist in six consecutive matches in the EPL. His assists were crucial to Arsenal’s wins game after game. He created nine scoring opportunities in Arsenal’s 2-0 win against AFC Bournemouth (Ozil assisted the first goal, scored the second), the most for any player in one game during that EPL season. He beat his own record soon after, when he he created 10 chances against Southampton.
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In 2016, Ozil played his 100th game for Arsenal. By 2017, he had three FA cup wins under his belt. In 2018, Ozil retired from international football and slammed DFB president Reinhard Grindel for alleged racism.
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Trouble started for Ozil when his manager and mentor Wenger stepped down from his post at Arsenal, after 22 years of serving as manager. This derailed Ozil’s performances. Ozil was the “teacher’s pet” under Wenger, according to then teammate Aaron Ramsey. Ramsey had this to say: “He’s the teacher’s pet. He gets a few extra days off than the rest of us. He’s always in the boss’s room asking for something, and he seems to get it.”
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But reports soon emerged that Ozil — who had been kept off the starting team quite a few times — had a fractured relationship with new boss Unai Emery. The Spanish coach, after being sacked, said Ozil needed to be self-critical when it came to his “attitude and commitment”. “He could have been a captain but the dressing room didn't want him to be,” commented Emery. “That's not what I decided; that's what the players decided. Captains are ones who have to keep defending the club, the coach, teammates.”
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It seems like Ozil never recovered from losing Wenger in his corner. When Mikel Arteta, former Arsenal player and Pep Guardiola understudy, was brought in to breathe new life into Arsenal in 2019, hope bloomed that this new management could bring back the old Ozil. However that hasn’t been the case, as Arteta excluded Ozil from his 25-man squad last year. It was a shocking decision — Ozil had played in every one of Arteta’s games until Covid-19 halted play in March, and Ozil hasn’t played a single game since.
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So, how does the highest paid player in Arsenal’s history end up on the bench? It depends who you ask. Some hold the opinion that Ozil’s attitude comes in the way of his success, or that his style of play doesn’t suit every game, while others believe Ozil is simply being ostracised for his outspoken advocacy and his tendency to face controversial politics head-on.
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Whatever the case, what started as a firecracker career at Arsenal years ago is now nothing more than a snuffed flame. But this doesn’t have to be Ozil’s last chapter. The footballer told fans this week that he plans to play in the United States — and his home country, Turkey — before he retires. It will be interesting to see if those who deride Ozil today will be fuel for him tomorrow, to do better at whatever club comes next. But one thing is for sure — that club won’t be Spurs.
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