Today in history: Women Football goes Olympic

Women’s football finally found its place in world football with the final of the first Olympic women’s football tournament - hosts USA beat China 2-1 in front of 76,489 to take gold.

The 1996 Summer Olympics—based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States—marked the first time that women would participate in the association football (soccer) tournament. The tournament features 8 women's national teams from four continental confederations. The 8 teams are drawn into two groups of four and each group plays a round-robin tournament (which was held in Miami, Orlando, Birmingham and Washington, D.C.). At the end of the group stage, the top two teams advanced to the knockout stage (which was held at Sanford Stadium), beginning with the semi-finals and culminating with the gold medal match on August 1, 1996.

The United States and China were in the same group and played each other 6 to a 0-0 draw on 25 July. They both won their matches against group members Sweden and Denmark to finish in the group's top two spots, with China in first place on goal differential.

In the knockout rounds, the United States beat Norway 2-1 (a.e.t.) and China defeated Brazil 3-2 to set up the rematch in the gold medal game.

Midfielder Shannon MacMillan scored first to put the US ahead in the 19th minute, but China equalized in the 32nd minute with a goal from midfielder Sun Wen. In the 68th minute, US forward Tiffeny Milbrett again put the US ahead, then gave way to midfielder Tiffany Roberts three minutes later as the US side protected its lead to the final whistle, claiming the first ever gold medal in Olympic women's football.

Today in history: Football came home 52 years ago

We at 3i go back 52years to take a look at “The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final” which was played by England and West Germany on 30 July 1966 at Wembley Stadium in London, and had an attendance of 96,924. The British television audience peaked at 32.3 million viewers, making it the most watched television event ever in the United Kingdom.
England won 4–2 after extra time to win the Jules Rimet Trophy. The England team became known as the "wingless wonders", on account of their then-unconventional narrow attacking formation, described at the time as a 4–4–2. The match is remembered for England's only World Cup trophy, Geoff Hurst's hat-trick – the first, and to date, only one ever scored in a FIFA World Cup Final – and the controversial third goal awarded to England by referee Gottfried Dienst and linesman Tofiq Bahramov.

Road to the final

Both teams were strong throughout the tournament. Each won two and drew one of their three matches in the group stages. England did not concede a goal until their semi-final against Portugal.

England played their opening game against Uruguay and they drew 0-0, their second and third game against Mexico and France respectively ended in a 2-0 victory. They beat Argentina 1-0 in the quarter-finals before beating Portugal 2-1 in the semi-finals. All their games were played in the Wembley Stadium in London.


West Germany beat Switzerland 5–0 at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield in their opening match, their second match ended as a 0-0 draw against Argentina in Villa Park, Birmingham, their third game against Spain ended in a 2–1 victory. They beat Uruguay 4–0 at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield in theQuarter-final and also beating Soviet Union 2–1 at Goodison Park, Liverpool in the Semi-final

Match

Normal time
England, managed by Alf Ramsey and captained by Bobby Moore, won the toss and elected to kick off. After 12 minutes, Sigfried Held sent a cross into the English penalty area which Ray Wilson misheaded to Helmut Haller, who got his shot on target. Jack Charlton and goalkeeper Gordon Banks failed to deal with the shot which went in making it 1–0 to West Germany.
In the 19th minute, Wolfgang Overath conceded a free kick, which Moore took immediately, floating a cross into the West German area, where Geoff Hurst rose unchallenged and levelled the scores with a downward glancing header. The teams were level at half-time, and after 77 minutes England won a corner. Alan Ball delivered the ball to Geoff Hurst whose deflected shot from the edge of the area found Martin Peters. He produced the final shot, beating the West German keeper from eight yards to make the score 2–1 to England.
Germany pressed for an equaliser in the closing moments, and in the 89th minute Jack Charlton conceded a free kick for climbing on Uwe Seeleras they both went up for a header. The kick was taken by Lothar Emmerich, who struck it into George Cohen in the wall; the rebound fell to Held, who shot across the face of goal and into the body of Karl-Heinz Schnellinger. The ball deflected across the England six-yard box, wrong-footing the England defence and allowing Wolfgang Weber to level the score at 2–2 and force the match into extra time. Banks protested that the ball had struck Schnellinger on the arm, and reiterated the claim in his 2002 autobiography, but replays showed that it actually struck Schnellinger on the back.

Extra time

Geoff Hurst's “Goal at Wembley "

England pressed forward and created several chances. In particular, with five minutes gone, Bobby Charlton struck the post and sent another shot just wide. With 11 minutes of extra time gone, Alan Ball put in a cross and Geoff Hurst swivelled and shot from close range. The ball hit the underside of the crossbar, bounced down and was cleared. The referee Gottfried Dienst was uncertain if it had been a goal and consulted his linesman, Tofiq Bahramov from Azerbaijan in the USSR, who indicated that it was, and the Swiss referee awarded the goal to the home team. The crowd and the audience of 400 million television viewers were left arguing whether the goal should have been given or not.
England's third goal has remained controversial ever since the match. According to the Laws of the Game the definition of a goal is when "the whole of the ball passes over the goal line”. English supporters cited the good position of the linesman and the statement of Roger Hunt, the nearest England player to the ball, who claimed it was a goal and that was why he wheeled away in celebration rather than attempting to tap the rebounding ball in.
Modern studies using film analysis and computer simulation have shown that the ball never crossed the line – both Duncan Gillies of the Visual Information Processing Group at Imperial College London and Ian Reid and Andrew Zisserman of the Department of Engineering Science at University of Oxford have stated that the ball would have needed to travel a further 2.5–6.0 cm to fully cross the line.
Some Germans cited possible bias of the Soviet linesman, especially as the USSR had just been defeated in the semi-finals by West Germany. Bahramov later stated in his memoirs that he believed the ball had bounced back not from the crossbar but from the net, and that he was not able to observe the rest of the scene, so it did not matter where the ball hit the ground anyway.

Queen Elizabeth II presented England captain Bobby Moore with the FIFA World Cup trophy (Jules Rimet).

One minute before the end of play, the West Germans sent their defenders forward in a desperate attempt to score a last-minute equaliser. Winning the ball, Bobby Moore picked out the unmarked Geoff Hurst with a long pass, which Hurst carried forward while some spectators began streaming onto the field and Hurst scored moments later. Hurst later admitted that his blistering shot was as much intended to send the ball as far into the Wembley stands as possible should it miss, in order to kill time on the clock.
The final goal gave rise to one of the most famous sayings in English football, when BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme described the situation as follows: "And here comes Hurst. He's got... some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over. It is now! It's four!"

Details
30 July 196615:00 BST
England  4–2 (a.e.t.)   West Germany
Hurst   18', 101', 120'
Peters   78' Report             Haller
                                                    Weber   89'
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 96,924
Referee: Gottfried Dienst (Switzerland)

ENGLAND 
GK 1 Gordon Banks
RB 2 George Cohen
CB 5 Jack Charlton
CB 6 Bobby Moore(c)
LB 3 Ray Wilson
DM 4 Nobby Stiles
RM 7 Alan Ball
AM 9 Bobby Charlton
LM 16 Martin Peters
CF 10 Geoff Hurst
CF 21 Roger Hunt
Manager:
Alf Ramsey

WEST GERMANY 
GK 1 Hans Tilkowski
RB 2 Horst-Dieter Höttges
CB 5 Willi Schulz
CB 6 Wolfgang Weber
LB 3 Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
CM 4 Franz Beckenbauer
CM 12 Wolfgang Overath
RF 8 Helmut Haller
CF 9 Uwe Seeler (c)
CF 10 Sigfried Held
LF 11 Lothar Emmerich
Manager:
Helmut Schön

Officials
Linesman: Tofiq Bahramov (Soviet Union)
Linesman: Dr. Karol Galba (Czechoslovakia)
Match rules
90 minutes
30 minutes of extra time if necessary
Replay if scores still level:
• 19:30 BST, Tuesday, 2 August 1966
• Wembley Stadium, London
No substitutions



WIKIPEDIA

Today in history: Bundesliga "THE HISTORY"

On 28 July 1962, the Bundesliga was created in the West German city of Dortmund. The Bundesliga is the top tier of the German football pyramid, with promotion from and relegation to the second tier, known as the 2d Bundesliga.

Football in Germany dates back to the 1870s, when it was introduced by English expatriates. The locals quickly took to the sport and, by 1900, had created so many clubs that the need for some administration was apparent. On 28 January 1900, representatives from 86 clubs met in Leipzig and founded the Deutscher Fußball-Bund ("DFB"). Although the DFB administered football across the nation, it was essentially a collection of regional leagues.

By the 1950s, German football's status began to drop, as many of Germany's best players left for other countries and the German national team struggled in international competitions. Critics blamed the decline on the DFB's league structure, which at that time consisted of five separate regional leagues known as the Oberligen, and issued calls for a national professional league.

On 28 July 1962, after the West German national team was eliminated from the World Cup by Yugoslavia, newly-elected DFB President Hermann Gösmann approved the creation of the new 19-team national league to begin play in the 1963-64 season. 46 clubs from the five Oberligen applied for the 19 available spots, but the five Oberligen champions for 1962-63 earned automatic inclusion, leaving 41 teams to compete for the final nine spots. The remaining teams were ultimately chosen based on a formula that assigned value to their league finishes and cup appearances.

The Bundesliga played its first season in 1963-64 as scheduled, with FC Köln claiming the first title.
The 1963–64 Bundesliga season was the inaugural season for a single division highest tier of football in West Germany. It began on 24 August 1963 and ended on 9 May 1964. The first goal was scored by Friedhelm Konietzka for Borussia Dortmund in their game against Werder Bremen. The championship was won by 1. FC Köln. The first teams to be relegated were Preußen Münster and 1. FC Saarbrücken.

                                       1996-2002
But Bundesliga didn't have a logo untill 1996 to distinguish itself.

2002-2010

Six years later, the logo was renewed into a portrait orientation, which was used until 2010.

2010-12 and 2013-17

A new logo was announced for the 2010–11 season in order to modernise the brand logo for all media platforms.

2012-2013

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bundesliga, a special logo was developed for the 2012–13 season featuring a "50" and "1963–2013”. Following the season, the 2010 logo was restored.

2017-2018

 In December 2016, it was announced that a new logo would be used for the 2017–18 season, modified slightly for digitisation requirements, featuring a matte look.

Today in History: Young Alan Shearer moved from Southampton to Blackburn

Alan Shearer moved from Southampton for an English transfer record-breaking £3.6million bid from Blackburn Rovers on the 27th of July 1992. Although there was also interest from Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, Blackburn

benefactor Jack Walker's millions were enough to prise the striker from the Saints, and Shearer moved north to Ewood Park in 1992.

His first season with Blackburn was mixed – he missed half of it through injury after snapping his right anterior cruciate ligament in a match against Leeds United in December 1992, but scored a prolific 16 goals in the 21 games in which he did feature. Shearer also became a regular in the England team this season and scored his second international goal; it came in a 4–0 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier win over Turkey in November. The season ended sourly, however, as Shearer was forced to miss January through to May due to injury and England's World Cup qualification chances were hit by a run of poor form.

Returning to fitness for the 1993–94 season, he scored 31 goals from 40 games as Blackburn finished runners-up in the Premier League. His performances for the club led to him being named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year for that season. On the international scene, England had failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup finals, but Shearer added three more goals to his international tally before embarking on his most successful domestic season as a player to date.

The arrival of Chris Sutton for the 1994–95season established a strong attacking partnership at Blackburn. 

Shearer's league-record 34 goals, coupled with Sutton's 15, helped the Lancashire club take the Premier League title from arch rivals Manchester United on the final day of the season, and the duo gained the nickname "the SAS" (Shearer And Sutton). After being asked by the press how he planned to celebrate winning the title, Shearer replied, by "creosoting the fence”. Shearer also had his first taste of European football in the UEFA Cup that season, and scored in the second leg as Blackburn went out in the first round, losing to Trelleborgs FF of Sweden.

His efforts for the club led to Shearer being awarded the PFA Players' Player of the Year for 1995.Although the club could not retain the title the following year, Shearer again ended the (now 38-game) season as Premier League top scorer, with 31 goals in 35 games, as Blackburn finished seventh in the league. The previous season's first-place finish also saw the club enter the Champions League. Shearer's only goal in six full Champions League games was a penalty in a 4–1 victory against Rosenborg BK in the final fixture and Blackburn finished third in their group, failing to progress to the next stage.

He passed the 100-goal milestone for Blackburn in all competitions on 23 September 1995, scoring a hat-trick in their 5–1 home win over Coventry City in the Premier League. On 30 December, he scored his 100th Premier League goal for the club in a 2–1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur. His final tally for the club was 112 goals in the Premier League and 130 in all competitions. His final goals for the club came on 17 April 1996, when he scored twice in a 3–2 home league win over Wimbledon.

Shearer's international strike rate had also dried up, with no goals in the twelve matches leading up to Euro 96.  He missed the final three games of the season for his club due to injury, but recovered in time to play in England's UEFA European Championship campaign.

ROMA'S PRESIDENT WANTS MESSI AS APOLOGY GIFT FROM BARCA

 

Roma president James Pallotta will only forgive Barcelona for their "immoral and unethical" signing of Malcom if Lionel Messi is sent as a peace offering.
The Serie A side were on the verge of completing the capture of the highly rated winger when Barca robbed them with a last-ditch bid of €41million. Bordeaux accepted the offer and the 21-year-old was re-routed to Spain having been set to board a flight for a medical in Rome.
"In terms of Barcelona, it looks like a pattern for them over the last few years of doing things that just should not be done at a club with the reputation that Barcelona intends to have," Pallotta said, as quoted by his club's website.
"In fact, they apologised for their actions and how they went about things. I don't accept the apology.
"The only way I'll accept it is on either one of two conditions: one, they give the player to us. That's obviously not going to happen. "Two, maybe as a goodwill gesture at the very least they could send us Messi!" Pallotta on the club website.

Toady in history: Kevin keegan and Hamburg

On July 1977 Kevin keegan moved from Liverpool to hamburg for £500,000 making him the most expensive British player in 1977. He was quickly nicknamed the “SAVIOUR” of Hamburg upon his arrival at the club.

He made his debut for Hamburg on the 26^th of july 1977 in a pre-season friendly against Barca. Barca players made fun of hamburg jersey (then pink) but hamburg had the last laugh with keegan scoring in their 6-0 victory over Barca and keegan also scored against his former club Liverpool.

An unhappy first few months at the club gave way to a more successful season. Although the club finished tenth in the league in 1977–78, Keegan's 12 goals helped him pick up a personal honour, the France FootballEuropean Footballer of the Year award for 1978.

The 1978–79 season saw a vast improvement on the club's 1978 finish. New manager Branko Zebec imposed a tough training regime, and Keegan's increasing grasp of the German language, coupled with the newly imposed discipline meant that Hamburg finished as league champions for the first time in nineteen years. The club's success also translated into individual recognition for Keegan, who picked up the European Footballer of the Year award for a second consecutive year,  as well as the nickname Mighty Mouse from the fans, after the cartoon superhero.

Roma Explore Legal Options After Barca Hijack Malcom Move

Monchi says Roma are considering legal action after a proposed deal for Bordeaux winger Malcom collapsed, with the Brazilian instead joining Barcelona.
Bordeaux announced on Monday a deal, reported to be €38 million, had been agreed with the Serie A side subject to a medical and personal terms being agreed.
But soon after the Ligue 1 side's statement was released, Barcelona's interest emerged and the La Liga champions moved to complete a deal worth up to €41m (£36.5m/$48m) on Tuesday.
Malcom subsequently agreed a five-year contract with the Catalan giants and sporting director Monchi is frustrated at the way Roma's planned move for the 21-year-old fell apart.
"I am very sorry for what has happened, but I believe that we had a complete agreement with Bordeaux – and then offered even more than that to get it done again," Monchi said to Roma TV.
"I want to tell our fans that we are continuing to work hard, working to identify a player that wants to come to Roma and is the equal or even better than Malcom.
"Now, within the club, we are looking at our options and seeing if we have a legal case. It is true that nothing was signed, but there are many messages with the agents and their president that are at least worth being assessed."

Premier league Preview; Part 1 "The New Boys"

The Premier league is few weeks from us. We'll be back to supporting our various clubs. The nostalgia, Heart brake, Pride, Dissapointments & Drama of the world best league would kick off soon. We here at 3i Football would preview on all 20 teams before the start of the tournament. First we start with the premier league "New Comers" . Wolverhampton, Cardiff City & Fulham.

Wolverhampton wanderers

The pack is back, Wolverhampton secured their premier league promotion by topping the Championships. Wolves would be returning to the Premier league for the first time since their exit In 2010/2011 season. The team had an impressive run in the Championship last season securing promotion as early as April last season. Wolves manager Nuno espirito Santo I must say Got a Really Good team in Wolves. Recent transfer made by the team is regarded as the Portuguese revolution in Wolves as Rui Patricio & Joao Moutinho join Fellow country man Ruben Neves to form a really strong team.

3i Football preview: Wolverhamptons promising Squad should be one of the side attractions in the New season. They look Formidable, so we expect them to finish above the relegation spots between 10th -17th

Fulham

After narrowly missing out on automatic promotion, relive all the twists and turns of the final three games of the season as the Whites looked to secure promotion through the Play-Offs.Fulham returned to the premier league after been away for 4 years. Slavisa Jokanovic side Managed to get qualification into the premier league by beating Aston Villa 0-1 to join Cardiff city & wolves in the premier division. This Fulham side is a very Average side, They nearly kept up with the pace of the other 2 in the Championship. Notable players for them this season is Ryan Sessegnon, Odoi & Recent addition of Micheal Serri & Le merchad. They also acquired Goal Keeper Fabric from Besiktas for £5 million. But most daunting was Micheal Serri's £18 million move from Nice to Fulham.

3i Football Preview: An Average team but with  Fighting spirit, Fulham are expected to be at the second half of the Table, They might survive relegation luckily. Best guess 15th position.

Cardiff City

Neil Warnock did a Fantastic Job in his 2 years @ Cardiff cit. avoiding relegation in the first season, Then gaining promotion in the second season. Finishing 2nd in the Championship rrwturning to the premier league since the 2013/2014 season. They Started the season by setting a Club record of winning their opening 3 games.including 2-1 victory over Wolves at the molyneux. A slip of form followed & later they regained their form and finished 2nd behind Wolverhampton. Goals seemed to come from all over the pitch last season for Cardiff. Defender Callum Paterson finished as the season’s top scorer in the league with 10, winger Junior Hoilett was one behind with nine, and defender Sean Morrison came in joint-third place with seven.

Kenneth Zohore, the Danish striker, looks to be their most valuable asset. He has scored21 times since his arrival at Cardiff in 2016, nine of which came last season. It could be argued that Zohore is not a ‘goalscorer’ despite playing so far up the field, as his height is enough to scare defenders into following him, allowing space to open up for his teammates instead.

Despite this style of play, he still contributes enough to the goalscoring to not be considered a flop, and his style should suit the Premier League well.

3i Football preview: Premier league is very tricky, Cardiff might stay up or might go down, only time will tell. But we do know they belong to the second half of the table. From 15th - 20th

Transfer news: Richarlison to everton

In July 2018, Richarlison transferred to fellow Premier League club Everton for a fee starting at £35 million and potentially rising to £50 million. He was signed by Marco Silva, who had also brought him to Watford. We take a look at Richarlyson's Career.

América Mineiro

Born in Nova Venécia, Espírito Santo, Richarlison joined América Mineiro's youth setup in December 2014, from Real Noroeste. In June of the following year he was promoted to the first team by manager Givanildo Oliveira.

Richarlison made his professional debut on 4 July 2015, in a 3–1 home win against Mogi Mirim; after coming on as a late substitute for Cristiano, he also scored the last goal. Seventeen days later, he extended his contract until 2018.[5]

On 21 November 2015, as América earned promotion to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with a 1–1 home draw against Ceará, Richarlison was sent off at the end for a foul on Charles.

Fluminense

On 29 December 2015, Richarlison signed a five-year deal with Série A club Fluminense. He made his debut on 13 May 2016 in the second leg of the second round of the Copa do Brasil, contributing to all of his team's goals in a 3–3 home draw (6–3 aggregate) against Ferroviaria.

He made his league debut two days later, starting in a 1–0 away win against former club América. His first goal in the division came on 26 June, netting the winner in a 2–1 success at rivals Flamengo.

In the 2017 Campeonato Carioca, Richarlison scored eight goals in 12 games and was named in the team of the season as his club finished as runner-up to Flamengo. This included one on 22 April in a 3–0 semi-final win over Vasco da Gama at the Maracanã Stadium.

In the same year, Richarlison also took part in his first continental competition, the 2017 Copa Sudamericana. He played four games in the Rio de Janeiro-based club's run to the quarter-finals, and scored in wins over Liverpool (Uruguay) and Universidad Católica (Ecuador) in the first two phases.

Watford

In August 2017 Richarlison completed a move to English club Watford, signing a five-year deal for a fee of £11.2 million. He made his debut for the club as a substitute in a 3–3 draw against Liverpool on the opening day of the season. On 19 August in his next match, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win over Bournemouth. He was the only player in the Hornets' squad to play every game of the league season, and scored five goals over its course.

Mesut ozil: The career

Mesut ozil on Sunday officially announced his International Football Retirement. The German has recently come under Fire from German Locals for a picture where he met Turkish President Erdogan & fellow Die mannschaft team mate Ilkay Gundogan. The 2014 world cup winner ended a stellar Die mannschaft career that boast of 23 goals & loads of assist. We at 3! Football bid Farewell to Mesut ozil & to cap it all of we'll be talking about his life career.
Club career

Schalke 04

After plying his trade at youth level for various clubs in Gelsenkirchen , including a five-year stint for Rot-Weiss Essen , Özil moved to the youth system of Schalke 04 in 2005. He was deployed a midfielder and wore 17 as his squad number, after starting as a playmaker and central attacking midfielder in the place of the suspended Lincoln in Ligapokal matches against Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich. Upon making the first team at Schalke, he was described as "the next big thing". However, soon after declining an offer from Schalke 04, claiming that a yearly salary of €1.5 million would not be enough, he eventually fell out with club management and moved on to Werder Bremen in January 2008. This led to Mirko Slomka , the then-Schalke 04 manager, claiming that Özil would not play another match for Schakle 04

Werder Bremen

Özil with Werder Bremen in April 2010.
On 31 January 2008, Özil moved to Werder Bremen for a reported fee of €5 million, signing a contract with the German club until 30 June 2011. Other than Werder Bremen, Hannover 96 and VfB Stuttgart were reportedly interested as well in binding Özil to their respective clubs, however did not want to pay such a high transfer fee. After transferring to Werder Bremen, Özil got the jersey number 11. On 26 April 2008 (30th match day) Özil scored the go-ahead goal in the 33rd minute against Karlsruher SC , to put his team up 2–1. This was Özil's very first Bundesliga goal. He played in twelve games throughout the second half of the season, six times playing in the starting formation, becoming second with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga at the end of the 2007–08 season.
Although Bremen failed to get going in their 2008–09 Bundesliga season, eventually finishing a disappointing tenth, Özil managed to make a significant impact in most games and came away with a respectable three goals and 15 assists that highlighted his attacking credentials. 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. He also excelled in Europe where he led Werder Bremen to the final of the last ever UEFA Cup , losing out to Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine.
In the 2009–10 season, Özil became the key playmaker of Werder Bremen, stepping into the shoes of Brazilian Diego who had left for Juventus , was named the best player of the first leg of the 2009 Bundesliga season. On 1 May 2010, the 33rd match day, Özil played his 100th Bundesliga game, scoring the 1–0 lead in a 2–0 win against his former club Schalke 04. Özil went on and led Werder Bremen to become third in the league and again to the DFB-Pokal final, however this time it was lost against Bayern Munich by 0–4. In his second season , Bremen finished a respectable third, with Özil contributing 9 goals and 17 assists in 31 league fixture appearances. During the 2009–10 season, Özil was also declared as the "best player of the first half of the season".

Real Madrid

2010–11 season
Özil playing for Real Madrid in 2010
Due to his performances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup , Özil ensured his place among Europe's top young talents. He was sought by teams like
Barcelona , Arsenal and Real Madrid . English striker Wayne Rooney was one of the many admirers Özil had garnered with his performances in the World Cup, and had even asked
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign the German playmaker but there were reports claiming that a deal was struck for a transfer to Barcelona, but Werder Bremen denied the reports and on 17 August 2010, the team announced that they had reached an agreement with Real Madrid for Özil's transfer. The transfer fee is believed to have been in the region of €15 million.  Upon 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 Bernabéu is so awesome you jump straight in." Özil made his debut on 22 August in a friendly match against Hércules , which Real Madrid won 3–1. His jersey numbers were changed often before the season started. He was given the number 26 in the pre-season and 19 for his debut. But following the transfer of Rafael van der Vaart to Tottenham Hotspur , he was given the vacant 23.
Özil was brought in to back up teammate Kaká, but due to his surgery, Özil obtained a starting role. He then made his La Liga debut for Real Madrid as a substitute for Ángel Di María in the 62nd minute against Mallorca , which Real Madrid drew 0–0.
Özil taking on Daniele Bonera of Milan during the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League.  He made his season debut in the Champions League on 15 September. He got his first assist with Real Madrid in the 74th minute against Ajax after he crossed for a Gonzalo Higuaín goal.
He walked off the pitch as a second-half substitute to standing ovations in his first two games as a starter at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium . His first goal came in a league match against Deportivo de La Coruña on 3 October 2010, in a 6–1 victory. Özil's first Champions League goal with Real came in the 14th minute against Milan on 19 October 2010. On 22 December, he made his debut in the Copa del Rey , scoring once in an 8–0 victory over Levante.
He finished the season with 25 assists, the highest for any player in any major European competition that season. Özil's performances for Real Madrid during his first season were praised by media, fans and players.
2011–12 season
Özil began wearing the number 10 shirt for Real Madrid in 2011–12 , signalling manager José Mourinho 's intent to use the German international as his main playmaker. On 14 August 2011, Özil scored his first goal against Barcelona in El Clásico in the first leg of the 2011 Supercopa de España.  On 17 August 2011, he was sent off in the last minute of the second leg of the 2011 Supercopa after an altercation with Barça forward David Villa. Özil expressed his desire to end his football days at the club in an interview with German magazine kicker , saying, "I'd like to end my career at Real Madrid. I know it will be difficult because I have many more years ahead of me and many younger and good players will also be out there, but I want to be part of that future. I know what I'm capable of, and I'm convinced, I'll stay at Real Madrid many years."
Özil was on the short-list of the FIFA Ballon d'Or award.

Özil's boots on display at the Santiago Bernabéu museum
He finished atop the La Liga assists chart, with 17 assists. On 2 May 2012, he helped Real Madrid to clinch a record 32nd La Liga title as he assisted Real's first goal and scored the second goal against Bilbao, which Real Madrid later won by 3–0. Eleven days later, Özil scored two goals in the final game of the regular season against Mallorca, once again consolidating his excellent performance with the club. The win made Real the first club in the Spanish top flight to ever reach 100 points in a single season.  His fine form with Real Madrid and German national team saw him earn nomination for UEFA Best Player in Europe Award , in which he finished tenth, being the youngest player to feature in the Top 10.
2012–13 season
With arrival of Luka Modrić before the start of the season, some in the media claimed Özil was unhappy at Real Madrid, but he later rejected such talk and claimed he was happy at the club and looking forward to competing for his place. After the start of the season, he added the Supercopa de España title to his honours. In league play, he provided an important assist to Cristiano Ronaldo who equalised in a 2–2 draw against Barcelona at Camp Nou. On 6 November, Özil scored a crucial 89th-minute free-kick to rescue a draw for Real Madrid and secure a point against Borussia Dortmund . He continued his fine form in the league as he scored another brace against Real Valladolid to rescue Real Madrid in a 3–2 win. He then went on to finish the season with 29 assists, although Real Madrid did not win any silverware except for the Supercopa de España, Özil's performance was praised. At the end of the season, Özil had 26 assists, more than any other player in the leagues.

Arsenal

Özil taking a free kick for Arsenal against Stoke City on 22 September 2013

On 2 September 2013, Özil agreed to join English side Arsenal . Both the fee paid for Özil as well as the contract duration were undisclosed, but they are believed to be around £42.5 million (€50 million) for a five-year deal. The transfer makes him the most expensive German football player of all time . Özil was assigned the number 11 shirt and the centre-attacking midfield role by the team.  Contract leaks in January 2016, however, have revealed that the record fee was actually broken down to £37.4 million (€44 million) with a further £5.1 million (€6 million) split evenly over six years from July 2014, subject to Champions League qualification. A buy-back option also allows Real Madrid a 48-hour first option on Özil should Arsenal agree a sale for the playmaker to another Spanish club.

Özil said of the transfer, "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. I am a player who needs this faith and that is what I have felt from Arsenal, which is why I have joined." In Özil's first press conference, he said: "I would have come here for free, that wouldn't have been a problem." Özil additionally stated that Arsène Wenger played an important role in his decision: "When I spoke to Arsène Wenger on the phone, he was full of respect, and as a player, I need that." Several Real Madrid players were dissatisfied with Özil leaving the club, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who said, "He was the player who best knew my moves in front of goal ... I'm angry about Özil leaving." 

2013–14 season

Özil playing for Arsenal in 2013

Özil made his debut for Arsenal in their league game away to Sunderland on 14 September 2013. He assisted Olivier Giroud 's goal in the 11th minute of the match as they went on to win 3–1. [46] Three days after that, he made his Champions League debut for Arsenal against Marseille . Just over three weeks after making his debut for Arsenal, he made his home debut against Stoke City in a 3–1 victory. He was involved in all three goals, with two assists and a free kick which was saved but fell into Aaron Ramsey's path.  He scored his first goal for Arsenal, a brilliantly controlled finish from a Ramsey cross, in a 2–0 win against Napoli in the Champions League. On 19 October, he scored his first two Premier League goals during the 4–1 home win against Norwich City . Özil played in all six of Arsenal's games in November. The German playmaker provided the cross for Jack Wilshere's second goal against Marseille and gave further assists for Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini in the 3–0 win over Cardiff City. Özil missed the chance to score his fourth Arsenal goal when he saw his penalty in the win over Marseille saved by Steve Mandanda.

In October, Özil was again short-listed for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award, along with former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. Özil was also featured on the UEFA Team of the Year . Özil began December with two goals in as many games against Hull City and Everton . A minor shoulder injury forced him out of the final game of December in a win against Newcastle United . After the 6–3 defeat at Manchester City in which he made another assist, Özil was involved in an altercation with teammate Per Mertesacker , who was angry with Özil's failure to thank the travelling supporters, an omission for which he subsequently apologised via Facebook. 

Özil and Olivier Giroud before kick-off against Southampton on 23 November 2013

Özil started four of Arsenal's six games in January. The playmaker missed Arsenal's victory over Cardiff City on New Year's Day with a shoulder injury before returning to make a late appearance from the bench against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup. The 25-year-old produced a slide-rule pass for Lukas Podolski to score his first goal against Coventry City and provided the ball for Santi Cazorla 's goal against Southampton at the end of the month to take his assist tally to 10.

 February was a difficult month for Özil, as he struggled to reach the heights he showed in his first few months at the club. The German playmaker pulled off a brilliant piece of skill to win a penalty against Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout phase , but his spot-kick was saved by Manuel Neuer. Speaking before the draw with Manchester United, Arsène Wenger spoke about Özil, saying, "He has done well, he is adapting as well to the Premier League – we have seen it before [that it takes time]. I wouldn't like to put too much pressure on him because he has been a top-class player until now. He didn't have the best of games [at Liverpool ] (a 5–1 loss, where Özil was the centre of attention due to a bad performance) but that can happen. He works very hard to adapt to the physical level of the Premier League and for me he is an exceptional player."

On 8 March, Özil scored his first goal of 2014 in a 4–1 FA Cup quarter-final win over Everton. Özil was showing signs of old form and started in Arsenal's second leg Champions League last 16 clash with Bayern Munich. He was substituted at half-time, and the reasoning behind it was that Özil had suffered a hamstring injury and will face a month out, missing key fixtures against Chelsea and Manchester City. 

On 20 April, Özil made an instant impact with a lively display against Hull when he returned to the Arsenal team in a 3–0 win. He then returned to goalscoring form with Arsenal's second in their 3–0 win over Newcastle United, and then assisted Olivier Giroud's header. Manager Wenger praised Özil's impact upon his return, saying, "Mesut Özil is very important for the team. He's been missed while he's been injured. We've missed some very important players in an important period of the season. We're really pleased to have people like him back in the team and performing at the top level because that's what we need." 

Özil played all three of Arsenal's remaining fixtures during the last month of his debut season in England. The German playmaker came off at half-time in extra-time of Arsenal's 2014 FA Cup Final victory over Hull at Wembley Stadium . Speaking before the FA Cup final, Per Mertesacker praised his compatriot's impact on the side during his first season in England. "You could see from the start that he is one of the best players in Europe," said Mertesacker. "His contributions and assists are vital for any club so we are happy to have him back."  Özil completed his maiden season at Arsenal with 13 assists and seven goals in all competitions spanning a course of 40 games.

2014–15 season

Özil in a league match against Aston Villa in February 2015

Özil returned to club training in the middle of August after participating in

Germany 's 2014 FIFA World Cup win in Brazil. On 23 August, Özil made his first appearance of the season in the 2–2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park. On 27 August, he played a part in Alexis Sánchez's winning goal in the second leg of the Champions League qualification play-off against Beşiktaş, playing a one-two with Jack Wilshere in the build-up to the goal. On 20 September, Özil opened the scoring and assisted Danny Welbeck in a 3–0 victory against Aston Villa at Villa Park. Özil featured in the three following games and started in Arsenal's Champions League group stage victory against Galatasaray , providing an assist for Alexis Sánchez in a 4–1 win. On 8 October, the DFB declared that Özil would be sidelined for between 10 and 12 weeks with a left knee injury obtained during a 2–0 defeat at Chelsea three days prior to the international break. The prognosis would rule him out of the remainder of Arsenal's Champions League group matches, as well as four international fixtures.

On 11 January 2015, Özil made his first appearance in three months as a 73rd-minute substitute in a 3–0 win against Stoke City.  He scored on his return to the starting line-up in Arsenal's 3–2 win at Brighton & Hove Albion in the fourth round of the FA Cup on 25 January, latching onto a pass from Tomáš Rosický before scoring Arsenal's second goal. In his first Premier League start of the year, Özil scored once and provided an assist for Olivier Giroud as Arsenal beat Aston Villa 5–0 at home on 1 February. The following week, Özil scored the opening goal in the Gunners' 2–1 North London derby defeat to Tottenham at White Hart Lane . On 4 April, he scored the second goal for his team in a 4–1 win over Liverpool. After a 3–1 win over Hull, manager Arsène Wenger praised him by saying, "Overall his influence was very strong."

Özil followed up his fine form with two assists for Alexis Sánchez in a 2–1 win against Reading in the 2014–15 FA Cup semi-final on 18 April. Özil started in the 2015 FA Cup Final as Arsenal beat Aston Villa in a commanding 4–0 victory on 30 May, concluding his second season at Arsenal with 5 goals and 7 assists in 31 appearances across all competitions.

2015–16 season

Özil playing for Arsenal in 2015

After scoring during a pre-season game against Lyon , Özil received praise from his manager, with Wenger calling for him to have his best season yet in Arsenal colours. On 2 August 2015, Özil started for Arsenal in the 2015 FA Community Shield , where the Gunners beat league champions Chelsea 1–0 at Wembley Stadium. A week later, he made his first appearance of the Premier League season in Arsenal's 2–0 opening day defeat to West Ham United.

Özil scored his first goal of the 2015–16 season in a 3–0 home victory over Manchester United on 4 October. He had earlier assisted Alexis Sánchez to give the Gunners the lead in the sixth minute of the match. [78] Özil was named man of the match in a 3–0 win at Watford 's Vicarage Road on 17 October, supplying assists for Sánchez and Olivier Giroud.  On 20 October, Özil scored his first Champions League goal of the season in Arsenal's 2–0 group stage home win over Bayern Munich. 

He set a new Premier League record being the first player to assist in six consecutive matches when setting up

Kieran Gibbs' for 1–1 in the derby versus Tottenham on 8 November 2015. He then extended that run to seven straight games with an assist against West Bromwich Albion , before scoring his second Champions League goal of the season in a three-goal victory at home to Dinamo Zagreb .  He then scored for the second game in a row when he clipped in the opener in a 1–1 draw at Norwich. Özil continued his run of good form by providing four assists in the next three games, against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Sunderland, helping his team win all three matches. On 28 December 2015, Özil assisted the first goal and scored the second in a 2–0 win against AFC Bournemouth , creating nine scoring chances in total – the most in a single Premier League game by any player during the season.

On 24 January 2016, Özil played his 100th game for the Gunners in a 1–0 home defeat against Chelsea in the Premier League. The next Premier League game against Southampton at home on 2 February saw Özil creating 10 chances – beating the previous record, 9 created and held by him during the season. This proved in vain, however, as the match ended 0–0 with the Gunners slumping into fourth as they failed to score in three consecutive Premier League games. He then ended the Gunners' barren goal-scoring run in the Premier League with the opener against AFC Bournemouth in a 2–0 away win on 7 February. Özil delivered his 17th assist in the Premier League from a free kick for Danny Welbeck to head in the winner deep into stoppage time as Arsenal came from behind to beat league leaders Leicester City 2–1 on 14 February. 

After a 2–0 home defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League, Özil scored and assisted in a 3–2 defeat at Old Trafford to Manchester United as the Gunners lost further ground in the title race.  Özil started in the 2–1 Watford in the FA Cup, where he set up Danny Welbeck for Arsenal's consolation goal with a backheel assist, and three days later in a 3–1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League as Arsenal crashed out in successive cup competitions in March. 

Özil assisted Olivier Giroud 's second goal in Arsenal's last Premier League match of the season against Aston Villa in a 4–0 home victory as the Gunners finished second ahead of fierce rivals, Tottenham Hotspur . That was Özil's 19th assist of the season in the league, a record only beaten by

Thierry Henry with 20 in 2002–03 in Premier League history. Özil ended his third season at Arsenal with 8 goals and 20 assists in all club competitions, which won him the Arsenal Player of the Season award.

2016–17 season

Özil missed Arsenal's opening day defeat to Liverpool, after his excursions at UEFA Euro 2016 meant he was not match-fit. However, he started his first game of the new

season for his club in a 1–3 away win at Watford on 28 August, in which he scored his first goal of the campaign, heading in an Alexis Sánchez cross to score Arsenal's third of the afternoon.  His second arrived just under a month later, netting a controlled volley in a 3–0 home win against Chelsea.  On 15 October, Özil again scored a volley at home, as he recorded the decider in a tense 3–2 win against Swansea.  Four days later, in a Champions League home game against Ludogorets Razgrad , Özil assisted Theo Walcott 's goal, and scored his first professional career hat-trick, which was concluded after again volleying as Arsenal went on to win 6–0.  On 29 October, he registered his first league assist of the season, after Giroud latched onto a corner to score the club's third in a 1-4 win against Sunderland.  For his performances, he was awarded the club's Player of the Month award for the month of October.

Özil began November by recording his third assist, which came in the North London derby, and was given after his free kick was turned into the net by opposing defender Kevin Wimmer .  Özil would then record Arsenal's Goal of the Season on 19 October, as he scored a remarkable solo winner in a nervy 2–3 away win against Ludogorets, which capped a resilient comeback after Arsenal were down by two goals in the opening 15 minutes.  He scored the opener in a 1–5 away win against West Ham United on 3 December, and assisted the fourth goal. He repeated his set-up exploits three days later in a Champions League win against Basel, feeding Iwobi from the left for the fourth. He then scored a header in a win against Stoke City a week later, before rounding out the year, Özil assisted the only goal in a home victory against West Brom on 26 December. He registered his first assist of 2017 after placing his corner directly in the path of teammate Mustafi, who headed past Tom Heaton in a 2–1 win against Burnley. Despite an impressive first-half to the campaign, Özil would then struggle with muscular problems, and was absent for a number of Arsenal's games.

He returned to fitness to star in a 2–2 draw against Manchester City on 2 April, where he assisted the equalizer. He would also break his breaking a four-month cold goalless spell after placing a controlled finish in a 3–0 win against West Ham United three days later, while he also assisted the second.  He then scored another volley just under two weeks later, in a win against Middlesbrough.  He then recorded his ninth assist on 10 May, where he set up Sánchez's opener.  In the last three league gameweeks, he scored his final goal of the season against Stoke City, while his final two assists arrived in the following two weeks, against both Sunderland and Everton. Despite the club missing out on the league and Champions League qualification, Özil concluded his fourth season at the club with 12 goals and 13 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions, and featured heavily as he won the 2017 FA Cup .

2017–18 season

On 31 January 2018, Özil signed a contract extension with Arsenal which will keep him with the club until 2021. His salary under the contract more than doubled, to £350,000 per week, making him the highest-paid player to date for Arsenal. On 11 March 2018, he recorded his 50th Premier League assist in a 3–0 win over Watford . In doing so, he became the fastest player to reach 50 assists in the competition, in his 141st appearance, breaking the record previously held by Eric Cantona .

International career

Özil playing for Germany in 2009

Eligible to play for either Germany or Turkey, Özil chose to play for his country of birth. In September 2006, he was called up for the Germany under-17 team . He was a member of the German under-21 team from 2007. On 29 June 2009, Özil was selected the man of the match in a 4–0 win over England during the U-21 European Championship final. 

He made his debut for the senior side during a friendly match against Norway on 11 February 2009. He scored his first goal for the senior team in his third appearance, another friendly, against South Africa on 5 September in Leverkusen at the BayArena .

2010 FIFA World Cup

Özil was selected for Germany's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, starting in all of the team's matches.He provided an assist for Cacau 's goal to the 4–0 final score against Australia in Germany's first group game. He scored a left-footed half-volley from the edge of the penalty area against Ghana in the final group game, ensuring Germany progressed to the second round as group winners. 

On 27 June 2010, Özil played in Germany's win over England in the last 16 match, setting up the fourth goal with a cross to Thomas Müller as Germany triumphed 4–1. During the quarter-final match against Argentina , he assisted the second goal for Miroslav Klose with a cross to ensure the 4–0 final score for the Germans. FIFA announced that he was among the ten tournament players nominated for the Golden Ball

Euro 2012

Özil was one of the leading forces in Germany's qualification for UEFA Euro 2012, scoring five times during the campaign as Germany won all ten of its games to top their group . Özil also confirmed his reputation as a decisive passer, as he provided seven assists, more than any European international during Euro 2012 qualification. When asked about his country's chances at

Euro 2012, Özil simply replied, "We have the potential to beat anyone and we have what it takes to win the title." 

On 29 February 2012, Özil was recognised as Germany's best international of the year for 2011 prior to kick-off at a friendly against

France in Bremen . Özil's Germany were drawn with the Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal into Group B at Euro 2012, widely touted as the "Group of Death ."

Özil registered two assists, created nine chances, and claimed the Man of the Match award in Germany's 4–2 quarter-final win over Greece. He then scored Germany's only goal (a penalty) in their 2–1 loss to Italy in the semi-finals.  His performance at Euro 2012 earned him two Carlsberg Man of the Match Awards. He finished the tournament as the joint-highest assist provider (3) and was named in the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament. 

2014 FIFA World Cup

Özil holding the FIFA World Cup Trophy after the 2014 Final

Özil ended the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign as Germany's top scorer with eight goals. 

Following an injury to Marco Reus in a warm-up game, Özil was moved from his customary number 10 role into the left-winger position for the majority of the tournament. He started all seven of Germany's 2014 FIFA World Cup games, and 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 , a match widely praised as one of the most entertaining of the tournament. [134] Özil then provided an assist for Sami Khedira in Germany's 7–1 semi-final win over Brazil . The goal Özil assisted, with a clever pass, made the score 5–0 to Germany after just 29 minutes. The shocking nature of the 5-goal flurry generated worldwide astonishment. 

In the final, Özil played 120 minutes before being replaced by Arsenal teammate Per Mertesacker. Germany were crowned World Champions with a 1–0 win. [ After the trophy was presented to the Germany team, UEFA President Michel Platini asked Özil for his match shirt as a souvenir, and Özil obliged. 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 Lionel Messi (23), and ranked second overall in possessions won in the final-third (6). 

UEFA Euro 2016

On 12 June 2016, Özil completed the full 90 minutes of Germany's opening Euro 2016 match against Ukraine which Germany won 2–0. He assisted Bastian Schweinsteiger 's goal in the 92nd minute. On 21 June 2016, Özil completed 99% of his passes, created six chances and claimed the Man of the Match award in Germany's win over Northern Ireland.  Five days later, Özil started in Germany's 3–0 round of 16 win over Slovakia. In the 13th minute of the match, he had a penalty effort saved by goalkeeper Matúš Kozáčik.  On 2 July 2016, Özil scored the leading goal against Italy in the quarter-finals to give Germany a 1–0 advantage, before Italy later equalised through Leonardo Bonucci's penalty.  Germany, however, emerged as the victorious side after winning the penalty shoot-out 6–5, despite Özil failing to convert his penalty kick after hitting the goal post. 

2018 FIFA World Cup

Özil was selected by manager Joachim Löw in Germany's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup . Despite the national team heavily under-performing as defending champions by being eliminated in the group stages, Özil featured in two of the country's three games, and averaged more chances per 90 minutes (5.5) than any other player in the competition. 

After the World Cup, on 22 July, Özil posted three different messages on social media , explaining his photo with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , which was heavily criticised. In his last message, he announced his retirement from international play, citing racism and disrespect. 

Style of play

Özil with Real Madrid in 2011

A quick, creative and technical player, Özil excels in an advanced playmaking role,  as a winger on either flank, or as an attacking midfielder through the centre of the pitch. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he was also deployed in a new role which was later described as a false-10 or central winger, due to his tendency to drift from the centre into a wide position when in possession of the ball; he has also been deployed in a more advanced role, where he usually functions as a second striker, as he often drops into deeper positions, from which he can link the midfield with the attack and initiate passing moves. An elegant left-footed player, his main attributes are his vision,  his control, movement, passing range, and accurate crossing ability, as well as his delivery from set-pieces, which allow him to get into good attacking positions, create chances, and provide many assists for his teammates. 

Due to his creative ability and offensive prowess as a playmaker, Özil has been called "assist-king" in the media. As of January 2016, Özil has the best ratio of assists per game in the history of the Premier League. Germany under-21 manager Horst Hrubesch once said, "We in Germany are prone to rave about foreign players. We praise Wayne Rooney to the heavens, likewise Ronaldo or Messi . But we have our own Messi. Our Messi is Özil."  In the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Belgium , he scored a goal which has been described as a "work of art." Germany coach

Joachim Löw hails Özil for his "genius moments" and his performance without the ball. 

Özil on the ball in the 2014 World Cup Final

Former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso described Özil as "the kind of player you don't find these days," adding, "He understands the game, sees things, combines and thrives between the lines, unlocking teams."

José Mourinho , who coached Özil for a time at Real Madrid said, "Özil is unique. There is no copy of him – not even a bad copy."  Assistant coach of the Germany national football team Hans-Dieter Flick said, "We are proud to have him in our team. When he has the ball, you can feel the excitement and astonishment among the fans." Former Netherlands and Milan forward Ruud Gullit described Özil as a "technically perfect" player who has "total control of the ball" and a "great imagination." Former Germany teammate Phillip Lahm said of Özil "His vision is probably the best I have ever seen... He is a dream for strikers.", while Mario Gómez called Özil "probably the most brilliant footballer we have or ever had". Despite his reputation as an offensive playmaker, Özil has also drawn criticism at times for his lack of physicality and his low defensive work-rate off the ball. 

His nicknames have included "der Rabe " (the Raven, or in Spanish, "El Cuervo ") – playing on his smart and opportunistic style of play,  and at Werder Bremen "der neue Diego " (the new Diego), in reference to Brazilian Diego , whose playmaker role he inherited,  "German Messi " and "German Zidane ." At Real Madrid, he was supposedly called "Nemo" – in reference to the clownfish Nemo from the Pix