Magical Mesut Won’t Be Forgotten
The saga is over, Mesut Ozil has finally left Arsenal football club.
In the end they paid him to leave, a stark contrast to his arrival in 2013 on transfer deadline day when Arsenal fans swarmed Sky Sports news presenters, as they reported on Arsenal smashing their transfer record to sign one of the best playmakers in the world.
He lit up the Emirates in his early days, breaking Premier League records for creativity as he helped deliver Arsenals first trophy in almost a decade, but things have turned sour in recent years.
At the start of 17/18 season, Alexis Sanchez and Ozil were entering the final year of their contracts and it was financially impossible to re-sign both, and the club had a decision to make. Sanchez was far more reliable, but he couldn’t match Ozil’s commercial haul with 83 million followers across his social media platforms.
He proved to be a valuable asset for the club. Ozil got a 3-year extension worth 350,000k a week making him the highest paid player in Arsenal’s history. A massive 250-million-pound kit deal with Adidas and a partnership with “Visit Rwanda” soon followed. This was supposed to be a triumph for Arsenal showing their intention to be among football’s elite clubs.
But soon Ozil’s work rate and commitment was questioned as he often missed games through illness or injury. When Unai Emery came in as manager, his pressing football and 3-5-2 formation didn’t suit Ozil and he was often left out of the team or played on the wing.
That was followed up by current manager Mikel Arteta who didn’t even register him in Arsenal’s Premier League squad this season due to “football reasons”. It was suggested that his refusal to take a pay cut (that most of the rest of the squad agreed to) led to his exile. Some other supporters argued it was punishment for Ozil’s comments on the plight of Uighur Muslims in China, comments that cost him endorsement deals in the country and also Arsenal’s games being taken off Chinese television for some time.
Only people in the inner circle will actually know the truth behind it all, but amid all the criticism and controversy of Ozil it’s very easy to forget just how good he was when he decided to let the magic flow. I’ve decided to focus on all the positives in his career, so here’s a look back at the magic of Mesut Ozil from the streets of Gelsenkirchen to the worlds most creative midfielder.
WERDER BREMEN
Ozil started in the youth system of Schalke 04 before making the switch to Werder Bremen for a fee of 5 million. He excelled in the 08/09 season recording 3 goals and 15 assists in the Bundesliga. 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.
In the 09/10 season the brilliant Brazilian Diego left Werder Bremen to join Juventus and Ozil took over as the clubs main playmaker. He led them to finish 3rd in the Bundesliga and finished with 10 goals and 29 assists in all competitions. He was quickly making a name for himself as the “assist king” as he got as much enjoyment out of providing a goal for a team mate as he did from scoring himself.
GERMANY
Eligible to play for Germany and Turkey, Ozil chose to play for his country of birth. He helped Germany win the U21 European Championship in 2009, producing a man of the match display in the final. The next summer he found himself on the plane to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. This is where Ozil announced himself on the world stage. At the age of just 22, he showcased his obvious talent to the world. With his laid-back elusive style he picked holes in the opposition and scored an outrageous volley against Ghana. Germany demolished England and Argentina before going down to the eventual winners Spain.
While the tournament ended in disappointment for the Germans, Ozil had caught the eye with his performances, he was named in the top 10 players of the tournament and was nominated for the Golden ball. This led to Jose Mourinho bringing him to the Bernabeau to join Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Ozil would go on to represent Germany for another 8 years playing in four major tournaments, which peaked in 2014 as he 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.
He concluded the tournament as the leader in passes completed in the final-third (171), was ranked joint-second in chances created (17), behind only Messi (23), and ranked second overall in possessions won in the final-third (6). German legend Philipp Lahm lauded his playmaker: “Mesut is the most intelligent player I have ever played with he is a dream for strikers.”
In May 2018, Özil retired from international football alongside Ilkay Gundogan, both of Turkish descent, after they were criticised for posing in photographs with the Turkish president Erdogan
It caused tension in Germany and prompted accusations that they lacked loyalty to the nation. Özil also commented on several media outlets that were using the photograph, where he asserted that the media outlets have selectively criticised him for his Turkish background.
He later detailed his core issue with the national team stemmed from his interactions with Reinhard Grindel, the DFB president, accusing him of displaying both racism and disrespect on multiple occasions, while also noting similar incidents with other high-profile German nationals, namely Bernd Holzhauer and Werner Steer. He then retired from the team as a form of protest against members within the Federation in which he perceived had “racially discriminative backgrounds”.
He made 92 appearances for Germany scoring 23 goals over 9 years and was named German player of the year 5 times.
REAL MADRID
Following his impressive performances at the 2010 World cup he moved to Madrid, Many players struggle with being the next big money Galactico but Ozil was right at home in the capital, always playing with his head up looking to make things happen with his laser vision and perfect weight of pass he was perfect for Ronaldo and Benzema.
He lit up La Liga over three seasons, he was given a standing ovation by the Bernabeau after his first two games and finished the 10/11 season with 25 assists more than any other player in Europe.
Mesut Özil at Real Madrid 😳🤯
— MÖS (@MesutOzilStats) December 18, 2020
Ozil switched to wearing his favourite number 10 shirt at the start of the 11/12 season, signalling Jose Mourinho’s intentions to use him as Madrid’s main playmaker. He helped Los Blanco’s clinch a record 32nd La Liga title by registering 17 assists in the league, as Madrid became the first team to reach 100 points in a season and scoring the most goals in a single season (121), and Ozil set a record for the most chances created in a CL knockout match (12) v Spurs.
At the end of the 12/13 season Mourinho left the club and Carlo Ancelotti came in. Madrid broke the world transfer record to sign Gareth Bale, and funds were low so either Angel Di Maria or Ozil had to make way and it turned out to be the German. He was the highest assister in La Liga three years in a row and provided 27 assists for Cristiano Ronaldo, more than anyone else in that time. Ronaldo described it as a very sad day when Ozil left the club.
ARSENAL
Arsenal were finding it hard to compete with their wealthy rivals while paying off debts from the move to the Emirates stadium and they were getting a reputation of being a selling club. Just as they looked to be building something their star player would move on – Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas departed for Barcelona while the most sickening one was Robin Van Persie who left for Manchester United. It was blow after blow for the club until they smashed their transfer record to sign Mesut Ozil.
This was a monumental signing for Arsenal a statement of intent. Arguably the best playmaker in the world with his peak years ahead of him would be coming to North London to wear the red and white. The fans were Euphoric as they swamped Sky Sports reporters and gathered outside the Emirates in their new Ozil 11 shirts.
Arsène Wenger said this about his new signing when he arrived: “Özil is an artist who feels football through all the pores of his skin and his soul. Like all artists, he needs to feel supported in his creativity. He has a feel for passing and an exceptional sense of timing. There is something magical about his playing style.”
He undoubtedly had his best days for the club under the Iconic Frenchman. Arsenal hadn’t won a trophy in almost a decade when Ozil arrived but he helped change that by winning consecutive FA Cups in his first two seasons. Arsenal also mounted their only genuine title challenge in 2015/16 as Ozil hit his peak for the club, registering 19 assists in the Premier League only Henry bettered that for Arsenal in the 2002/03 season.
He added another FA Cup in 17/18 although his involvement decreased as the years went on. Things may have got complicated between him and the club, he has been one of the most exciting players to play for the Gunners. He got fans off their seats with moments of class, sumptuous touches and magical flicks that Arsenal fans will never forget.
His first goal for the club was a taste for things to come, the way he cut across the ball to control this finish. Effortless!
And this audacious flick assist over the top for Giroud that most players would only dream about..
This free-kick had no right to go in on the Goalkeepers side..
He became famous for a unique bounce technique for passing and finishing which is quite simply outrageous..
And you can’t forget this famous goal against Ludogerets in the Champions League which is best, as described by Eric Cantona: “The goal by Ozil for Arsenal in the Champions League was like a pure football orgasm, it sent shivers down my spine; a lob over the keeper, a swing of the hips and a gentle ball in the corner of the net. Sometimes football truly is an art.”
He spent 7 years at Arsenal playing 259 matches scoring 44 goals and registering 77 assists, winning 4 FA Cups. Whether he will go down as a club legend is irrelevant to the fact that he is one of the best creative midfield players the Premier League has ever seen.
During his time in the Premier League, Ozil set the record for the most assists in a calendar year (20) Most consecutive games with an assist (7). Most chances created in a season (146). Most chances created in a game (12).
He is also the highest scoring German with 32 goals and highest assisting German with 52 assists. Five players have created over 500 Premier League chances since 2013/14 Eriksen – 571 (226 apps), 𝗢𝗭𝗜𝗟 – 𝟱𝟱𝟴 (𝟭𝟴𝟰), Hazard – 528 (211), De Bruyne – 513 (170), Silva – 511 (206). Of any Premier League player in recorded history with 500+ chances created; Özil has the highest average per game (3.033).
They say in football that the first five yards are in your head. Ozil is a unique player; while sometimes he might look like he is in second gear he was always a step ahead of every other player in his mind. He sees motorways where other players see footpaths. The thrill of the assist is what made him tick. He wasn’t called the Assist King for nothing. He is the only player in football history who has been the top assist provider in 3 of the top 5 European leagues. (Bundesliga, Premier League and La Liga.) He is also the only player in history to do so in a World Cup and Euros.
Mesut Özil – King of Assists pic.twitter.com/Jt6wLw5yBf
— – (@Samuel11i) January 22, 2021
His top 10 goals aren’t too shabby. The Cruyff turn back onto his right foot. The way he cut across the ball against Napoli. A rocket to the roof of the net in the Allianz Arena. A thunderous strike in off the bar for his country. His silky feet and dribbling in the early days at Werder Bremen. A free-kick for Madrid. A half volley at the world cup. A volley out of the sky in the emirates, and that delicious goal in the Champions League that went viral.
Ozil is a divisive figure worshipped by some and hated by others but one thing we can all agree on is that there is no doubting his natural talent on the football field, and few players could match his seemingly effortless brilliance.
——————————————————————-
This tribute to Mesut Ozil is a Guest Article that was written by the Sports Journalist Cian Johnson and he posted it to his personal GAA and football blog, attackingfootball.com.
You can follow Cian Twitter page here @cianjohnson13
What an excellent Article ,well constructed and a joy to read .Top marks
Great Article for one of the great footballing talent
Very interesting article, well done!
His early years were most certainly his best and I still believe we got the best out of him when AW was still here. But, I guess we all need to move on now and look to the future and the next big talents to grace the Emirates! 🙂
Enough with Ozil FFS obsession is becoming sickening on this site
No one is making anyone read it, are they?
Is it JustArsenal that are obsessed or readers like you who love moaning?
He has left and yet ye continue to ramble on about him, it was bad enough when he wasn’t even in the squad. He’s not with the club and ye continue to dribble on. Why not do the same type of article with a player that was actually able to win the league with the club.
Enda is of course correct Admin PAT.
THE REAL TRUTH IS THAT THIS SITE IS A BUSINESS TO YOU AND YOU RUN IF FOR PROFIT, NOT FOR OUR BENEFIT.
I KNOW FULL WELL THAT IS THE ACTUAL TRUTH AND WOULD REPECT IT IF YOU WERE ONLY HONEST ABOUT WHY YOU CONSTANTLY USE MOSTLT UNWANTED OZIL ARTICLES , INSTEAD OF INSULTING OUR COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE, BY PRETENDING IT IS DONE FOR ANY OTHE REASON.
You accused me, unjustly, of insulting you in a post that you once again deleted but the truth is PAT, THAT YOU ARE THE ONE INSULTING US LOT WITH THIS CONSTANT BARRAGE OF NONSENSE.
The player has finally gone, so please, let him rest!
Does Kroenke run Arsenal for fans benefits? Does the FA run the premier League for fans benefits? Does FIFA run football for fan benefits?
Do all Arsenal players and their manager play for our benefit?
HH As ever you confuse two separate matters! All clubs are professional ones run as businesses and only certain fans- I do not say you, think they are run for our benefit – whereas this site likes to give the impression it is run by fans for other fans.
But it is also a business and business comes first, which is WHY we get constant Ozil articles. (This was why I wrote my first post.)
I easily see this but you obviously do not! By all means challenge my thoughts but do think fully first!
Jon as a self proclaimed free speech fighter, how ironic for you to dictate what others should write or read? Does the free speech apply only to you?
I red every words, comas and full stop. Great.
***read***
Well written, no one is forced to read, like I always say hatred is a virus more deadly than covid. It was wonderful having you Mesut, I personally wish you the very best.
First time I watched him play live was 2010 World Cup , just commanded his space when he had the ball. A true talent and now in the twilight of his playing deals. And a truly generous human being. Thanks for the moments of genius.
Please put together a clip of the number of tackles that Ozil EVER made at Arsenal ?
You can do one and send it in eh?
Or how about you create a video of every assist made by mertersecker?
Im Actually done with this site. Ye deleted Jon Foxes comment on the article even though there was nothing offensive in it just the mans opinion. Thats censorship and ridiculous. I expect you will delete this too. Much too snowflakey for me.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out
Liberals
Always say they stand for free speech….until that free speech is against their own opinions then it’s hate speech lol
Yeah bye!
On JustArsenal I prefer readers who want to talk about football and not petty squabbles..
Ad PAT, And of course you have that precious delete button. How convenient it is to use rather than actually properly answer legit criticism (not just a facetious answer either).
WELL SAID! How true and how sad too!
No one is forcing you to be on here mate.
It is a guest article. Look how long it is with the medias included and think the effort the writer must have put into it. Some should’ve been decent enough (you included) to at least to ignore it if they didn’t like the subject. If you would like to criticize the Mesut articles perhaps the one where the admin is the writer should’ve been a better place?
👍👍👍
Theres a door??????
Hope you enjoyed! Follow my Twitter for more arsenal content
https://mobile.twitter.com/cianjohnson13
I was getting fed up with the continual flow of daily Özil articles but this one is an excellent history of the mans talent and a great read and watch, thank you. Hopefully this now is the end of it and a fitting record of his undoubted skill.
But, I’m sorry to see that censorship has prevailed and Jon Fox’s comments have been deleted, not a great look for this site. I only hope Jon hasn’t been banned altogether as whilst I don’t always agree with what he writes, he does write in a most compelling and articulate manner.
I completely agree with your first half Declan ,as that must of took a lot of time to put together and put together very well .
Can’t agree with you on Jon as he’s a whining little Bitch ,and constantly slags off this site and it’s users .
Bang on 👍
Dan kit, No , I ONLY challenge those who won’t use their perfectly good brains, like you for example! You have long loathed and feared me, as your increasingly rancid comments about me show only too well.
Fear you !! 😂😂
Dont make me laugh ,you don’t like it because I call you out for what you are.
,I know you have a few cheerleaders on here ,but to me you are no different to any one else who posts on here why some posters think your special is beyond me .
I call it as I see it ,always have and you don’t impress me one bit with your long winded posts ,your nothing more than a bandwagon jumper posting what you think everyone else wants to hear .
I’ll leave it there as Pat will probably delete this else .
DAN KIT, you would say that, wouldnt you ?.
That fear me bit cracked me up too dan 🤣
Say what Gerry Burke ?
Ozil was a good player for us, but the premier league became too demanding for him, due to his age and the increase in the speed of the league.
Now onto the future. We have got Smith-Rowe, Martinelli and Saka to replace what he used to give to us. These 3 young players have goals and assists already, let us hope it continues and they perform better than Ozil ever did for us.
Saka is showing signs he is a great talent in the making.
Goodbye Ozil. Thank you for your contributions as an Arsenal player.
To me Ozil was a waste of £100 million investment.
Absolutely underwhelming Arsenal career. An absolutely divisive figure.
Overrated and overhyped.
Poor attitude, mentality and application.
The overall transfer worked out for Ozil on an individual basis (finance wise) but not for Arsenal. He fed us crumbs from his performances. The club’s input into ozil was massively while Özil’s output to the club was a joke.
That’s why I failed to warm to him. Glad the whole saga is now done. We move on.
But wish him all the best for his future.
I agree with every word!
Couldn’t agree more..
With all due respect, I don’t think it is right to say Arsenal never benefited at all. Arsenal made a good earning of Ozil through merchandise sales and the money coming in from Ozil fans. So Arsenal did made financial gains with Ozil, at the very least to a certain extent.
Being a club that is run as a mega-business, it explains why the board is alright to hand Ozil a fat contract because they are making gains. Things only went downhill after the China episode because that is a loss for Arsenal.
Well said Goonster. He brought more of a reality show to Arsenal than consistent performances. Great transfer window. There are so many other Arsenal players to be appreciated than him. The fake legacy he’s crafted for himself and others actually buy into is just nauseating.
Superb article from start to finish.
The complete and factual history of a man who fulfilled his boyhood dreams and became a football legend throughout the world.
For me, this is not an article about his time at our club alone, but a breakdown of his time in football as a whole.
A shame how it ended at The Arsenal and I am sure neither parties ever dreamed it would end as it did – time to move on… thanks for the memories Mesut and have a great life.
A LEGEND EH? Very much a matter of opinion, I WOULD SAY, KEN!
To my thinking mind , a legend is a Bergkamp, an Henry, an Adams, a Bob Wilson , a McLintock, a Boy Bastin, etc, not a lazy non tryer who held our club to ransom!
Jon he is a legend in the football world – I selected my words carefully, a shame you didn’t read them!!!
I would suggest to you that Dennis is not seen as a legend at Inter Milan, where he was a failure, but is seen as a legend throughout the footballing world.
What I will never understand with you Jon, is your belief that you can say whatever you like, but criticise others who are doing just the same.
I have no idea what you said that made Pat delete your post, but you know the rules and if anyone gets away with breaking them, it’s you.
The problem is Jon, you dish it out, but cannot take it back, without trying to belittle those with a different view.
I believe that there are more football fans with a positive opinion about Mesut Ozil than a negative one…. and this article was celebrating his achievements.
If you don’t agree, you can simply ignore the article… but it seems you have to comment with the same, never ending criticism every time his name appears.
Just to confirm, I would never class MO as a legend at The Arsenal, but neither would I accuse him of being “filth” either… perhaps you should stop criticising others and look at your own words?
His comment was complaining about Mesut articles. He posted it mere seconds after the article was published which shows he didn’t read it (seeing how long it is). He might have just seen the word Ozil on the headline and went on straight to complain.
Before deleting the comment Pat told him that it was inappropriate for his comment because of the guest article and should give others the chance to read and appreciate the writer’s efforts (something along those lines) so he will delete the comment.
Jon went on to complain about free speech and such forgetting that free speech (as you have pointed out) apply to all and not only to Jon (which shows he still hasn’t reached the end of his quest for truth).
Jon like the rest of us has both good and bad qualities. One of the trait I like about him is his praising ones comment in one article and completely turn against them in another. This shows that what he cares about is the thought behind the comment and not the name behind the comment. He will not just agree with someone because of good relationship or to make them feel better or afraid of hurting their feelings and such.
HH, Wrong again and without knowing the facts, if I may say so. Of course I read the article – I was just fortunate to be on here when it came up, so saw it and READ it before anyone else had chance to . That is no claim to merit by me but mere chance. But I refute your ignorant charge – without knowing the facts – that I had not read it.
Moving on, I know you are a man who thinks before posting but you have told an untruth about me not having read it and you may wish to apologise . You are not to know perhaps that I read at great speed and being in theatre can remember words , phrases, etc very quickly through my long years of experience on stage. This is very common in the world, away from football, in which I operate.
I also fully agree with you when you correctly say that I , as with most humans, have good and bad qualities. I myself have very often said precisely the same thing, so on THAT you make a sound judgement. I can see exactly the same applies to you too.
I like debating with you, though do wish we could BOTH be less inclined to rub each other up the wrong way!
You may wish to think that some of the Gooners I most often heartily disagree with are also the ones I much respect as people and personal qualities are far more important than any ones comments or thoughts on a “mere” football team, even our own beloved AFC.
YOU MAY OR MAY NOT EVEN AGREE WITH THAT- I ‘D LOVE TO KNOW.
Ken, you should know that Dennis Bergkamp was considered to have failed at Inter Milan, because of how he was expected to play by the manager and the selfishness of the strikers he played with.
Ken I would have thought that “throughout the world” would not exclude our own world famous club, as you appear to be arguing in this case?
Care to answer THAT pertinent question PLEASE?
I did read ALL your post, as I always do when reading anything and answered , correctly, that in OUR OWN PART of that football “world” he is NOT a legend.
Glad to see that you have retracted on THAT view in your second post and agreed with me . That is almost a first, certainly on THIS subject.
Jon, but I DIDN’T say he was a legend at our club, but a legend world wide.
There is a difference of course – would Tony Adams be a legend world wide?
This article laid out brilliantly Ozil’s footballing career, including his time at our club, which wasn’t his most successful during the last season.
Ozziegunner, I agree that Dennis didn’t fit into the style of play at Milan, much the same as Mesut doesn’t fit into MA’s plans at The Arsenal… so are you saying that what was seen as a reason for Dennis not to have succeeded at Milan, doesn’t carry the same reasoning for Mesut?
Sounds to me like one rule for one and one excuse for another!!
I also wonder if Dennis got the same kind of sickening abuse from a section of the fans that Mesut has got?
Ken, my comment was in clarification of your statement that Dennis Bergkamp had “failed” at Inter Milan. I have to this point made no comment on this article regarding the football career of Mezut Ozil.
In answer to your question, Mezut Ozil did not fall out of favour because of Ma’s style of play, but because of his deteriorating contributions on the field, supported by his declining statistics over his latter seasons. It was not just MA, but also Freddie Ljundberg, Unai Emery and Arsene Wenger who reduced his appearances.
As I remember it (which can be checked through the media), Bergkamp received a lot of abuse from Inter Milan fans and Italian media, due to his supposed lack of goals. He was also denigrated in the English media, due to his failure to score in early games for Arsenal, being called an expensive flop and waste of money by Stuart Pearce.
I haven’t commented until now on this article and where did I refer to Ozil in my comment to you on Bergkamp? Therefore, I don’t know where you can draw the conclusion that I have “one rule for one and one excuse for another.”
KEN, OUR CLUB IS NOT PART OF THE WORLD THEN, ACCORDING TO YOU!
The article headline reads “The saga is over”! Anyone believe that? Me neither! If only it was!
Oh change the record, Jon!! Your comment was deleted earlier and you’ve still come back for more.
Can’t you just give credit where it’s due on what was an excellent article? It might not be your cup of tea, but it was very well put together. Thank you, Cian. You don’t have to read it, nobody forced you to leave a comment. Yet you keep harping on about the site and how they make money… so what! But it’s fine when you send one of your articles in! And if it bothers you that much, why on earth are you still on here?! Sheesh…
Sue As you have not realised why I crititicised, it was NOT specifically THIS article which was factually well written proir to him coming to us. BUT THE FACT THAT CONSTANT Ozil articles drive those of us who saw through this fraud into a despair.
He is not a legend but just a bone idle VERY talented(at one time) VASTLY OVERPAID PLAYER, WHO LET US DOWN BIGTIME AND FOR MANY YEARS.
Like you and others, I LOVE OUR CLUB AND WILL DEFEND IT FROM THOSE WHO, LIKE Ozil, harmed it long term, both financially and on field. Those like you who were in thrall to this lazy man til the end will never understand.
Can’t speak for Sue (or anyone else even the vast majority you profess to represent) but has it EVER occurred to you Jon, that your never ending criticism of Ozil, amongst others, is never understood by others?
This article was brilliantly put together and warranted being put on a site for Just Arsenal fans… if you don’t like the subject, just don’t read it, as it was obvious what it contained.
Exactly, Ken, pretty simple really, isn’t it??!!
Well then don’t read it, let alone leave a comment – simple!! You keep promising this will be the last Ozil article you ever comment on, yet you can’t help yourself!!!
And to think I only came on here to show my appreciation to the writer!!
🙄
Sue, I concur… a brilliant article and WELL DONE to the site for printing it.
Sue My beef was not against THIS article which I DID say was well put together. It was against JA using yet another chance to inflict Ozil on us majority of fans who cannot stand what “this enemy of our club” (as many of us see him as having been) even after he has finally and mercifully left.
You do me a disservice by accusing me of dissing the article. I did not , I dissed Ad PAT AND HIS ONGOING OBSESSION WITH CRUCIFYING US WHO LOATHE THAT PLAYER , BY CONTINUALLY TORMENTING US.
I never mind my true views being challenged but I DO MIND MISREPRESENTATION OF MY VIEWS. Not everyone is as exact with language as I choose to be and with good reason too, as I DO NOT WISH MY TRUE THOUGHTS TO BEMISREPRESENTED.
AS YOU HAVE DONE HERE, SUE!
Again Jon, you are blaming me for an Ozil article written by someone else, so you are dissing the writer not me. You will find very few actually written by me, but usually by fans.
As I say enough times, why not just discuss the football and stop telling me how to run my website. It is distracting to people who want to talk about Arsenal and not just YOUR opinions.
Oh boy, we finally got rid of the pest but the irritating articles won’t stop. Oh well, maybe the articles will stop next season.
so, even though the greatest number ten in the world have left us people cannot let go. he is gone,forever, and best of luck to him. but lets leave it at that, he is no more an arsenal legend than i am.i would prefer to read about jon foxs cat than this former player of ours.thhese articles, in my honest opinion,are actually harming this page.can we not just draw a line under this saga please, he has moved on, so why cant we ?. please admins, get a grip and grow some balls and admit your guru is gone , and, mostly forgotten !.
Well said Gerry!
Great article and great player. I have no doubt he will succeed at Fen as well. Sad we no longer admire players who have that wow factor n can produce those out of world moments we like avg players who can just run them selves into ground while producing a boring spectacle.
You aren’t commenting at Just Fenabache yet? What a miracle..
Let me now comment.
I believe that after this article ” The Saga is over”. We will not have to read about Ozil again l. Thank you for the time taken in putting this article together.
Hi everyone,
I have been a regular on this site and it is bookmarked in my browser, I come here for the articles and even more so, for the comments. Have been doing so even before Özil joined our beloved club but I have never commented on this site ever. I was waiting for such an article to express my thoughts on Özil. and ever since I started watching arsenal no player has made me more excited at arsenal than Özil. I really love the time we had Özil, sanchez, giroud and Ramsey playing beautiful football and those are the best memories I have. I understand the difference in opinions but we will never know the exact of ozil’s exclusion, it seems more political than the lack of talent or work rate. I remember under ljunberg when Özil was brought back into the squad he ended being the player who has run the most distance (>10kms) in 3 consecutive matches. I wish we see another player of Ozil’s talent at arsenal soon.
Can’t help mentioning that the signing of Özil will go down as the greatest signing wenger made at emirates and I couldn’t sleep all night in disbelief as I kept on refreshing websites including this one to make sure that the signing was for real when it happened on deadline day. Still feel that he would have done much more than willian if he was kept in the squad. He wasn’t the best but he was an artist, a footballer than can make you love watching football just like wenger’s arsenal, the team that made me love watching football.
This is not the last Özil article and I hope it is not my last comment on here but i hope you guys respect Özil for the time he has spent here and for all he has done for the community. He might not be an arsenal legend or have the greatest numbers all around but his one flick, slick pass or turns can bring a smile on a football fan’s face. Without him we might have started believing in arsenal again after years trophy less seasons. I would have given anything to watch ozil play just 5 productive mins in a number of matches where our attack has looked so toothless lately, because even if he came alive for 5 mins he could done have created the chance of the match.
Sorry comment is too long, just wanna sign-off by saying I have great hopes from our current crop of youngsters and wish all of us fans a respite from champions league embargo soon.
Keep the comments coming, Hemang 🙂👍
Here here
Nice to read your thoughts Hemang.
Welcome aboard Hemang. Though I largely disagre with your views on Ozil, you are as entitled as any other person world wide to put your view and you did so very well , if I may say so.
I have read your comment in full and it fully sums up my thoughts on Mesut Ozil can’t add anything👏👏👊 congrats for speaking the minds of many of us out here who have watched, seen and appreciated what he’s done in our club. Who else has ever treated us with such moments of pure class and genius. I too would give anything to watch just 5mins of some Ozil’s Magic. Thanks Much Hemang highly appreciated. Please Continue sharing your thoughts on this platform.
Hemang, well worth waiting for your comments, agree with you on most of your observations – hope to see more of them.
Thank you Mesut the last player arsenal had that could by himself fill a stadium such is your greatness. I know of many who took a plane ride just to see you play. Mesut we LOVE YOU
🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 Please to continue writing ozil articles admin your sure to get loads of comments. And if you ever get bored maybe one day you can write an article about JON.
😂😂😂
HE COULD INDEED FILL OUR STADIUM. WITH HIS WAGES!
Brought a bit of quality to a team in serious decline … wasn’t the player to turn things around but with the likes of manager favorites like Walcott Ramsey and Xhaka around him there was little chance of that anyway … had his faults but on his day a joy to watch play the game as it should be
Ozil is a genius….way too talented.
Gone but not forgotten. I’m sure he’ll be forgotten in three years when the club has moved on and found a decent replacement. Or is that just my wishful thinking. Never did understand the anti Ozil faction. I thought that he more than justified his transfer fee and if managers post Wegner couldn’t fit him into their game plan it was not his fault. What were you guys looking for anyway? Good old English stock, such as Brian Talbat, Alan Sunderland or Ray Parlour? How boring! He was no Gerrard, unfortunately but even he couldn’t win the League on his own.
Joe. S, did you ever see these three players play? By the way it is Brian TalbOt, a midfielder (not #10) who played 327 first team matches and scored 57 goals for the Arsenal. Alan Sunderland was a forward not a midfielder, who played 206 games and scored 55 goals. As for Ray Parlour, a deeper playing midfielder, he played 339 games and scored 32 goals for Arsenal and his CV includes 3 Premier League Titles, 4 FA Cups, 1 League Cup and 1 European Cup Winners Cup.
All players contribute in their own way; some more than others.
You shouldn’t try to lift a player up by putting other players down.
Waste of 150 million!
I didn’t bother reading once I saw the title. Looking forward not backward. 😀
Joe. S, did you ever see these three players play? By the way it is Brian TalbOt, a midfielder (not #10) who played 327 first team matches and scored 57 goals for the Arsenal. Alan Sunderland was a forward not a midfielder, who played 206 games and scored 55 goals. As for Ray Parlour, a deeper playing midfielder, he played 339 games and scored 32 goals for Arsenal and his CV includes 3 Premier League Titles, 4 FA Cups, 1 League Cup and 1 European Cup Winners Cup. Assists weren’t measured when these players were playing. By way of comparison Mezut Ozil played 184 games and scored 33 goals for Arsenal.
All players contribute in their own way; some more than others.
You shouldn’t try to lift a player up by putting other players down.
To clarify Mezut Ozil played an additional 48 games in Europe (9 goals) and 16 FA Cup (2 goals) and 5 League Cup (0 goals)
competitions.
Including Cup Competitions and Europe:
Brian Talbot 327 games 49 goals
Alan Sunderland 206 games 55 goals
Ray Parlour 466 games 32 goals
I know it all Oz . They were just three examples of non Ozil type players who could bore me to death if not surrounded by more skillful ones. Parlour of course complemented a very good team, but he was an example of what you could achieve through guts and energy. I hated Talbut and Sunderland. I know the later scored the FA cup winner, but he was better at Wolves and often impotent at Arsenal. Talbut had a massive shot, but the last thing you would say is that he was creative. To my memory he was another example of the sideways pass. That team had potential but let down by over relence on Liam Brady’s left foot. Once he left we really were boring Arsenal.
His name is “TALBOT”.
They didn’t call Ray Parlour “the Romford Pele” due to his lack of skill. To call Parlour “boring” as a player is ridiculous.
As for boring Arsenal check again the achievements of George Graham’s Arsenal in 1990/91:
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
38 24 13 1 74. 18. +56 83*
2 pts deducted for brawl at Old Trafford.
Also, in winning the First Division in 1988/89 Arsenal scored 73 goals, with 36 against, a GD of +37.
I feel a bit saddened by the fact that humans can be so bogged down by their feelings that they miss the facts. I feel even worse that some people simply follow the feelings of others without thinking through anything for themselves. The responses to this article do not flatter the cognitive independence of the fans.
1. Ozil is the best creative midfielder in the history of the Premier league (not the Belgian that I respect so much); and I was fooled to think otherwise until I saw the data on 3 different sites and did the calculations. Maybe this will change soon but not yet.
2. Like Usain Bolt he was bloomed early. Very few sportsmen do well after 30. In this area, he was very human.
3. He brought hope back to Arsenal after a decade of selling and failure – and with this millions of fans joined or returned.
4. Thus, Arsenal made a killing of monies out of him. To illustrate: in Jamaica Ozil is the highest selling shirt in stores. I went and checked. Do not cry – I know this hurts some people who have been protesting for Kroenke’s loss of revenue. But the data show that Arsenal made a lot of money off their investment.
5. When he became controversial and it affected their money, he was abandoned. This is business. I do not blame the Club. Football is brutal and unforgiving. But don’t cry for me Argentina!
6. The Club got some of the fans to believe the campaign. But I think this was unnecessary and cruel!
He is gone to spend ‘evening’ in Turkey. I wish him well and thank him very much.
A well articulated, widely researched and expansive Article. The author of this Article is a specialist in the writing world, just as Mesut Ozil is the king of assists. Well done Cian👍.
As young gunner i cannot relate much to the great players of The Highbury era as only Thierry Henry who was mostly sung about, (like Messi, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho), by the time i knew about and started supporting Arsenal. So The familiar heroes to me are from the Emirates time forwards. The likes of Van Persie, Carzola, Podolski, Sagna, Alexis Sanchez, Ramsey, Giroud and of course the song to my ear Mesut Ozil. Thanks for highlighing his entire Career. As for me he deserves to be a Legend. The stats can clearly indicate his contribution was invaluable. No ordinary Arsenal player will ever come close to achieve his entire career stats ( not even ESR). The defense splitting passes, the body feint art, individual briliance, acute vision, inch perfect well weighted passes and many more skillful displays left the Emirates faithful’s mouths agape in awe. As he progressed in his career in Arsenal after his signing in 2013, one could clearly see the difference between the average bunch of players we had and the WORLD CLASS players. His time with us was a great experience for me and he made me Love and support Arsenal FC more and more. He has said goodbye for now but not goodbye forever that means he is also a fan of Arsenal and still carries the team with him. We as his fans shall still watch him doing his “things” in Fenerbahce.., as the memories of him are firmly imprinted in our hearts, its like they are cast in stone (permanently fixed).
Good bye Mr Legend, Passer Master, The Great Assist king Mesut Ozil😊