Sports Nicknames - Assist King, M10

Mesut Ozil is a player who has faded from the public eye. The creative midfielder garnered a name for himself as someone who could see passes that others couldn't, even from the age of 16.



Ozil started his career in Germany, playing for the youth system of Schalke 04 before making his first move to Werder Bremen in 2008. In Ozil's first season, he helped the club win the DFB-Pokal in his first season, scoring the winning goal in the final.

These performances led to even larger eyes being set on him, with a transfer to Real Madrid coming in 2010. It was here that Ozil would lead the Spanish league in assists for the next 3 seasons. Because of this, he became known as the "Assist King".

Despite Ozil's claims that he desired to stay at Real Madrid until he retired, in 2013 he joined Premier League side Arsenal for a then-record fee for a German player (€50 million). Ozil initially shined for the Gunners, helping them to their first trophy in 9 years with an FA Cup victory. This success would continue for 2 more FA Cups and a season as the Premier League assist leader. However, Ozil would never quite recapture the numbers he had at Madrid.

From 2017 onwards, he started to play less frequently, eventually being left out of the squad in 2020. This led to Ozil making a move to Turkish club Fenerbahce after his contract was terminated 6 months early.

It is unfortunate that Ozil's career deteriorated as it did after he joined Arsenal, as his Real Madrid days showed one of the most creative players on the planet. He helped Germany win the 2014 World Cup thanks to these skills. However long he continues playing in Turkey, he is sure to continue providing assists and chances for those he plays alongside.

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