Written by Billy Rodgers
A tall, slender, well-built athlete, with eyes almost as wide as those of a chameleon, Mesut Özil is a lethal playmaker, a graceful dribbler, and a virtuoso in modern soccer. Özil plays for Arsenal Football Club, a team in the north of London in which he is the architect in chief of all attacking play in their starting lineup. He wears the Arsenal jersey with pride and gratification every game as he graces the green grass of soccer fields all over Europe.
Özil’s rise to success began in his hometown of Gelsenkirchen, Germany where he played soccer all throughout his childhood, especially in small soccer courts known as ‘Monkey Cages’. Playing in such tight spaces allowed Özil to become technical and crafty with a soccer ball from a young age. His first professional team was Schalke 04, a local club in Gelsenkirchen, who play in the German Bundesliga, the top league in the country. He went on to play for Werder Bremen, another Bundesliga team, in 2008 where he caught the attention of the German national team. He earned himself his first international playing time in 2009 in a friendly match against Norway. A year later, he made a high profile transfer to Spanish giants, Real Madrid, one of the most talented club teams in the world. Finally, he signed for Arsenal FC in 2013 for 42.5 million pounds and is currently in the best form of his life.
At times, Özil plays soccer with an expressionless and emotionless face, but at every moment he is tuned into every aspect of the game. In fact, the vision that he has shown with his passing is almost unprecedented in English soccer, amassing a whopping 20 assists for Arsenal during the 2015-2016 season. It is almost ironic that he has bulging, bug like eyes, given his impeccable ability to see and know where his teammates are all over the field.
He has made a pass in a televised game where I’ve had to go back and rewind in order to completely understand how exactly he did it. In fact, I’ve even had the privilege to watch Mesut Özil play in person, not once, but twice in my life. Watching a player on television is one thing, but watching Özil in person is bewildering. When I first saw him, he almost seemed larger than life. The slender figure I had watched for years on television almost transformed in front of me to a physical specimen. His chest, arms, and legs almost seemed to bulge out of his jersey. When he moved, it seemed as if he was gracefully gliding across the field without any wasted motion. The first time I saw him play, he calmly and effortlessly slotted a free kick past the opposing keeper in front of 60,000 spectators, almost as if he didn’t feel the pressure of every fan holding their breath.
See the goal here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7z5w6RYgGc
Under difficult circumstances this season, Özil has taken center stage in creating the decisive moment in many games that has led to Arsenal scoring the winning goal or even putting it in himself. In Arsenal’s recent 3-2 win against Bulgarian team Ludogorets Razgrad, he scored in the 87th minute when he received a through ball that put him clear in on goal. In a move that has been re-watched several million times on YouTube, Özil single handedly chipped the ball to himself over the goal keeper, used a fake shot to completely avert two more recovering defenders whose momentum carried them stumbling past him, and then finally passed the ball into the empty net. Özil has never been known for singlehandedly scoring goals but rather for making key passes that lead to beautiful goals.
See the goal vs. Ludogorets here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkjPUck5RxY
Even though Özil thrives under pressure and is a big game player, he still manages to remain humble and keep his feet on the ground through all the talk of being in the form of his life right now. On his birthday, this year, many of his past and current teammates joined together to make one special video to wish him a happy birthday. Many of them talked about how he takes great care of his family and friends and how big of a heart he has. At times, he will post the occasional video of him doing various things in his free time off the field, such as playing soccer with his dogs or hanging out with his infant niece, Mira. After every goal that Mesut Özil scores, he has adopted a popular celebration in which he sucks his thumb and makes the letter ‘M’ with his left hand. When asked about the celebration he says, “It’s for my brother’s daughter Mira … she’s the first child from my brother and my first niece so she brought a lot of happiness to the family; I love her so much and I want to show her how much I love her so when I score a goal, I do this ‘M’.” This fairly silly and less-than-fashionable celebration shows how much his family means to him. Even while he is scoring goals and earning millions of dollars, he still finds a way to dedicate all that he does to those he loves.
In the past Özil has been criticized for his languid and relaxed playstyle which seems almost too casual at times. But in the past few years, he has answered all his critics by putting together performances game in and game out that make him one of the most valuable players in the world. Mesut Özil’s game has also drastically changed this year, especially since the beginning of the season, he has added runs in behind the defense, he doesn’t only create chances, he also finishes them, with already eight goals so far this season, his biggest tally being 10 goals with Real Madrid. He rises to the occasion when called upon and his quality on the field is there to be seen by his toughest critics and biggest supporters. He remains a humble person who values his family, friends, and even his fans. In the prime of his career and the form of his life, Mesut Özil is poised to have greater seasons in the future.
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