Arsenal’s superb midfielder Mesut Ozil was looked at with amusement last year when he said that his aim was to win the Ballon D’or one day, especially as he had had a lacksadaisical season with the Gunners and was hardly considered to even be our best player.
But when the new campaign began he hit the ground running and has amassed an amazing 3 goals and 16 assists in 20 Premier League appearances so far, and if Olivier Giroud had have been more clinical he could have doubled that! He is absolutely certain to dwarf the previous assist record held by Thierry Henry and now must be a leading contender for Player of the Season for Arsenal and the Premier League.
If he continues he will be one step closer to his desire to win the Balon D’Or. He has already won the World Cup and two FA Cups and if the Gunners go on to become Premier League Winners, and Germany win the European Championships as well, then he would surely be favourite to break the hold that Leo Messi and Ronaldo have on that coveted trophy. He is already confirmed as the best German player after winning his fourth Play-Of-The-Year trophy last week.
Now he is about to make another little piece of history by becoming the First Premier League Player to wear lace-less boots, and Ozil believes that these will make him an even better player. Mesut said: “My whole career I have tried to minimise the impact of laces on my strike and ball control,”
“I revealed to Adidas in 2014 that in the changing room I knot the laces over and over again and then tuck in the ends – that way they do not interfere with my touch.
“So when they came to me last year with the laceless boots, it was like they have created my dream product. I cannot wait to wear them on the pitch.”
Considering our German is already the most accurate passer of the ball in the world, anything that will make him even better can only be good for Arsenal and also in his quest to win the Ballon D’Or……