Mesut Özil Biography

by Sebastian Henke

"The best playmaker of the world"—these are the words of Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho about Mesut Özil. The biography of Özil is the story of a young Turkish-German player, who has already played for 3 big European soccer teams. His biggest victories are the Spanish National Championship in 2012, the Cup in 2011 and the 3rd place in FIFA World Cup 2010.

Childhood

Mesut Özil was born on October 15, 1988 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Özil is a third-generation Turkish-German of Kurdish descent. His grandparents were Turkish, and his father moved to Germany.

Mesut is one of four children. He was the second child; he had a brother named Mutlu and two younger sisters, Nese and Dugyu.

Özil started to play soccer when he was 7 years old. Everyone in his family loved soccer. In the early years of his career he played for several teams in Gelsenkirchen and Essen. In 2005 he was signed by German Bundesliga team Schalke 04.

Schalke 04

With the start of the season 2006/2007 Özil became part of Bundesliga squad of Schalke 04. He made his senior debut on August 12th, 2006 in a 1:1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt.

He played 19 games in his first senior season. But because of problems between Özil's father, his agent and the club, Schalke 04 decided not to extend his contract and to sell him. Özil was transferred to Werder Bremen in a $5 million move on January 31, 2008.

Werden Bremen

Özil signed a contract expiring in June of 2011. In Bremen they wanted him to replace Brazilian playmaker Diego who moved to Juventus Turin.

Özil led Bremen into the final of UEFA Cup in 2009, where they lost to Shakhtor Donezk. They ended the 2008/09 season with a 1:0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the final of the German Cup where Özil won his first important title.

The following season Özil scored 9 goals and assisted 17. The highlight of the year 2010 was the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. After performing brilliantly in the tournament, Özil got offers from European giants Manchester United, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Özil decided to play in Spain and moved to Real Madrid for a transfer fee of about $17 million in August 2010.

Real Madrid

Özil said there was no doubt for him when he got the offer from Real Madrid. The plan was to make Özil the backup for Brazilian star Kaká. Due to Kaká receiving surgery, Özil obtained a starting role in his first season.

He made his debut on August 29th against RCD Mallorca in a 0:0 game. Özil started in 30 of 38 possible games, scored 6 goals, and assisted 19 goals. After a first season with great performances, Özil was given the jersey with famous number 10. In the season 2011/2012 Özil was the best provider in the Spanish La Liga with 17 assists, helping Real Madrid win the Spanish National Championship.