Mesut Özil (German pronunciation: [ˈmeːzut ˈøːzil], Turkish pronunciation: [me̞ˈsut ˈø̞zil]) (born 15 October 1988) is a German footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Germany national football team. Özil has been a youth national team member since 2006, and a member of the German national team since 2009. He gained international attention during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was nominated for theGolden Ball Award, which is awarded to the tournament's best player. Following his breakout performance at the World Cup, he was transferred from Werder Bremen to Real Madrid in August 2010. Özil is acclaimed for his finesse and improvisation as an attacking midfielder. His style and knack for providing assists for his team-mates has been compared to that of Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane. In 2011, he ranked first in assists in major European and domestic competitions with 25. In 2012, he ranked first in assists in La Liga with 17.[3][4] He was also one of the top assist providers in the 2010 FIFA World Cup andUEFA Euro 2012 with 3 in both. Özil is a third-generation Turkish-German,[34][57][58][59] who, in reference to his game, concludes, "My technique and feeling for the ball is the Turkish side to my game. The discipline, attitude and always-give-your-all is the German part."[60] Although of Turkish descent, his entire life has been committed to Germany.[34] His ancestors are from Devrek, Zonguldak in North-Western Turkey.[61]
He is a practicing Muslim. He recites the Quran before his matches. Talking to the Berlin-based daily Der Tagesspiegel, Özil said, "I always do that before I go out (on the pitch). I pray and my teammates know that they cannot talk to me during this brief period."[62][63] He observes fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan however he has admitted that: "Because of my job I cannot follow Ramadan properly. "I do it only the few days I can, only when I have a free day. But other than that it's impossible, because you have to drink and eat a lot to stay at peak fitness."[64]
In 2010, Özil received the Bambi award for being a prime example of successful integration within German society.[65]
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