Possessing natural talent, but former midfielder Mesut Ozil could not adapt to the dizzying changes of contemporary football and ended his career as an old-fashioned.

The peak of Ozil’s career (right) was the years at Real. Photo: Reuters

Ozil’s talent was soon revealed in the Schalke 04 shirt before going to Werder Bremen and then shining continuously in the Bundesliga. In 2009, when Germany won the European Under-21 Championship for the first time, this wide-eyed midfielder was the standout individual. At the World Cup a year later, Ozil really came into the light of the world football stage when Germany won a bronze medal in South Africa.

Germany scored four goals against Australia in the group stage, before scoring the same number of goals against England and Argentina in the knockout matches. Ozil was always at the center of quick counter-attacks, and even scored a stunning goal against Ghana in the group stage. It is a modern German team, completely different from their image at Euro 2008 and showing for the first time in many years a fresh, attractive play. Ozil, in the position of a number 10, is seen as a representative representative of that young, talented group.

Ozil celebrates after scoring for Germany at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Photo: AFP.

“Watching Ozil play at his peak is a great experience,” commented The Athletic . Very few players of his time can find the space like him. Ozil also constantly adjusts his position based on the opponent. If the central defender closes in, he will drop back. If he hits a defensive midfielder, he will go high. Ozil always knows how to pull opponents out of position to create space and opportunities for teammates, often speeding into the middle to help wingers squeeze in to finish.

That way of playing is why Ozil feels fresh when he appears . He is not the classic number 10 that is confined to the central area and is easily killed by defensive midfielders. Ozil’s assists are full of pomp, such as the way he released the ball with his heel from a long ball to Karim Benzema to score for Real, or when he moved through the defense and artistic ball to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored against Leicester City while playing for Arsenal.

Ozil was most sublimated when he was with Real, at the right time when coach Jose Mourinho led this team. At that time “Special One” said: “Ozil is unique. There are no copies of him – not even ugly clones. He is the best No. 10 in the world right now.” He also ranked Ozil on the same level as legendary midfielders like Luis Figo, Zidane.

Ozil’s impressive assists at Real.

During the three years under Mourinho, Ozil played in a free role when operating in the center and left wing, often creating dreamy balls for Cristiano Ronaldo or running to create space for the Portuguese superstar. scored. In El Clasico matches, Mourinho did not favor Ozil, but chose a three-midfield formation, but the German midfielder was always his preeminent playmaker in the way Juan Mata – a star in the same position and famous up at the same time – incomparable. The biggest difference between them is the speed when counter-attacking.

With his move to the Premier League in the summer of 2013, Ozil missed his chance to reach European glory – something Real won in four of the following five seasons. His time at Arsenal got off to a great start, before slowly morphing into a drama full of nuances: from a dazzling start as the team’s most expensive player, the first half of the 2015-16 season . outstanding – a terrible second half of the season, four FA Cups, erratic form under Unai Emery, the final period of being estranged from Mikel Arteta and the frustrations on social media when he was not selected.

Over time, Ozil was remembered as more of a media figure than his contributions to Arsenal on the pitch. Even on good days, Ozil can shine like the best midfielder in the world. So, the way people remember Ozil is entirely based on his taste in football: do you prefer a technical genius or a player who never stops working?

Ozil’s impressive moments at Arsenal.

Ozil’s supporters can point to his enduring form at national team tournaments, especially the 2014 World Cup winning campaign . Ozil not only played well at major tournaments in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 but also holds the record for receiving the best German player of the year award. Between 2011 and 2016, he received this award five times. At the national team level, Ozil is an inspiration.

But in a way, this also points to his limitations. National football is different from club level, where players practice together for more than nine months a year instead of just a few weeks together. Level football is slower, less around pressing, less complicated passing moves and individuals have more acting ground to shine. It suits Ozil and his demeanor, but lags behind modern football at club level by a decade.

At club level, Ozil has not achieved the same success as with the national team. The fact that Real only really flourished in Europe when he left and Gareth Bale arrived is a proof of Ozil’s incompetence. At Arsenal, Ozil did not match with Olivier Giroud. The French striker likes to approach the ball area to catch the ball for other players to run past him. Ozil always likes other people to run for him to poke holes. Giroud is not an attacking player who likes to slip behind defense, and neither is Ozil, leading to conflict.

The final period at Arsenal was sad days for Ozil.

Without the ball, Ozil is not the type of player to be industrious. In certain matches, he did not participate in defense when assigned with midfielders or full-backs. Ozil is not only a lack of active participation in pressing the opponent but also a fatal weakness when being pressed in reverse. In a 5-1 defeat to Liverpool in February 2014, he was one of Arsenal’s worst players with two losses leading to a goal. Arsenal started the match as top of the table but were quickly swept away by an energetic, enthusiastic Liverpool.

The only scorer for Arsenal that day was Mikel Arteta – who later became Ozil’s coach. Despite trying to give his old teammates a chance when he first took over, Arteta still realized that moments of genius were not enough to make up for Ozil’s weaknesses on the field.

And when Arteta finally broke with Ozil , no other top coach reached out to save him. He returned to his parents’ homeland – Turkey – to compete in the hope of finding joy, but was unsuccessful. When Ozil retired, Basaksehir – the last team he played for – was still a strange name to the majority of the world football-loving public.

Ozil’s impressive moments with Germany.

Ozil is a player of paradoxes. From a modern construction player suddenly became an old-fashioned person. Likes to create but not the type of player of the team. Is a speedy counter-attacking midfielder, but is easily left behind by the pace of the game. He has a desirable number of assists, but is also considered “unable to measure by parameters”. He was the outstanding German player of his generation, but became out of step by the way of total pressing football, partly influenced by German football itself.

And that’s what makes Ozil even more interesting. An outsider, a shunned genius, perhaps unjustly judged in his time and at times even on the team he served.

In an article after Ozil announced his retirement yesterday, British newspaper The Athletic commented: “In the early 2010s, Ozil was likened to a future playmaker, but he ended the decade like this. an old-fashioned player. Life is fast-paced and football’s evolution is even more so.”