Born in Germany to Turkish parents, Mesut Özil began his professional career at Schalke 04
Background
Born in Germany to Turkish parents, Mesut Özil began his professional career at Schalke 04, his home-town club, and made his debut as a 17-year-old back in 2006. After a bright and promising start to life with Schalke, things soon changed when he declined to commit his long term future to the club. He was subsequently dropped and Schalke had little choice but cash-in on their highly-rated youngster. Werder Bremen came calling, and paid €4.3 million for him on deadline day of the 2008 January transfer window – the highest fee ever paid for a German teenager. Whilst at Bremen, Özil teamed up with Brazilian playmaker Diego and formed one of the most dangerous and creative midfields in the Bundesliga, and despite a relatively poor domestic 2008/09 season, the club reached the final of the UEFA Cup, only to lose out 2-1 to Shaktar Donetsk in extra-time. During the same season, Özil received his first caps for the German national team, making his debut in a friendly against Norway in February 2009, and scoring his first international goal on his third appearance in September of the same year. Özil also qualified for Turkey because of his parents, and could’ve followed in the footsteps of other German-born Turkish internationals such as Yildiray Basturk and the Alt?ntop twins, but instead chose the country of his birth. Despite having a contract with Bremen until 2011, Özil has attracted a significant amount of interest, specifically from Sevilla, Barcelona and Arsenal to name but a few. If you can stand seven-and-a-half minutes worth of cheesy Euro-pop, then there’s quite a good video here that shows just how good Özil really is.
Tactics
Özil has some really impressive attributes; perhaps most impressive are his speed, creativity, ball skills and his passing ability. FM says that his best, or at least natural position, is as a Central Attacking Midfielder, but he can operate equally as effectively on the Left Wing or as a regular Central Midfielder. Playing behind two strikers, Özil has the ability to carve open defences with almost inch-perfect through balls, and his speed means he will more-than-likely be first to the ball. Off the ball, his movement is second-to-none and in terms of actually having the ball at his feet, he could quite literally run rings round opposition defenders. Özil is a player who performs best when in possession; I know that sounds kind of obvious, but there are some players whose movement or passing alone can draw plaudits. To really get the best out of him, I’d advise you to set him as either a Playmaker or, preferably perhaps, as a Trequartista, and allow him a lot of creative freedom. Doing this might mean you’ll need a ball-winning midfielder behind Özil, as his free role could often lead to a loss of possession. A couple of good Wingers and at least one Striker with good heading ability and/or who can get in behind the Defences would also bring out the best in Özil, as his passing range will often lead to several crosses in the box.
Transfer
Özil is valued at just under £5 million on FM, but it’d probably cost you at least double that to acquire his services. However, it will almost definitely be worth it, as FM describe him as a ‘wonderkid’. Judging by the lack of loyalty Özil showed to his home-town club Schalke, I don’t think it’d be too difficult to sign him, especially if the money is right. At the start of the game, he’s not world-class, but easily has the potential to become one of the best players in the world. It’ll be easier to sign him if you are Barcelona or Fenerbahçe as both feature in his ‘favoured clubs’.
Overall
At just 20-years-old at the start of the game, Özil has some brilliant attributes for his age, which will only get better with time. Deployed with the right tactics and the right players around him, he could become a world-beater, just as long as you can keep his very ambitious feet firmly on the ground.
Recommended Rating: 9/10
