Mesut Özil

**Mesut Özil** (, ; born 15 October 1988) is a German former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. 

Özil is often praised for his skill at being an attacking midfielder. He is known for making lots 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 career 
### Schalke 04 
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 Bremen 
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 Madrid 
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.

## Career statistics
### Club
### International
:''Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Özil goal*. runner-up: 2009–10
*UEFA Cup runner-up: 2008–09

**Real Madrid**
*La Liga: 2011–12
*Copa del Rey: 2010–11; runner-up: 2012–13
*Supercopa de España: 2012

**Arsenal**
*FA Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2019–20
*FA Community Shield: 2015  
*EFL Cup runner-up: 2017–18
*UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2018–19

**Germany U21**
*UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2009

**Germany**
*FIFA World Cup: 2014; third place: 2010

**Individual**
**kicker* Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2008–09
**kicker* Attacking Midfielder of the Year: 2010
*Most assists in the Premier League: 2015–16
*German Player of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
*UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2012
*UEFA Team of the Year: 2012, 2013
*Laureus Media Award: 2014
*PFA Fans Player of the Month: April, November & December 2015
*German Football Ambassador Public Award: 2015
*Arsenal Player of the Season: 2015–16
**kicker'' Best German Abroad: 2016

## References