Mesut Ozil Biography Facts, Childhood, Stats, Net Worth, Life

Mesut Özil Biography Facts, Childhood, Career, Net Worth, Life
Mesut Özil – Biography, Childhood, Career, Accomplishments & Awards. (Photo credit: Arsenal.com)

Mesut Özil (born October 15, 1988) is a professional football player from Germany. Throughout his career which has seen him play in more than 3 European leagues, Özil has shown that he’s a footballer blessed with versatile techniques, unusual football prowess and finesse. In this Mesut Özil’s biography facts, childhood, career, net worth and personal life, we bring interesting findings of one of the best football stars in this modern age.

Too often, we have seen individuals from obscured penury and extreme hardship to the centre terms stage of sports. While many of such individuals share a similar challenge in overcoming the odds to become a household name in sports, their story is unique in every sense. Mesut Özil’s rise from the life of penury, coupled with the challenges of living in a neighbourhood ravaged by the extreme unemployment rate, to being one of the most loved and talented soccer stars is nothing short of inspirational.

Mesut Özil Biography Facts, Age, Info

Full Name:Mesut Özil
Nicknames:German Messi, Nemo, der Rabe, German Zidane, der Neue Diego
Date of BirthOctober 15, 1988 (age 35 years)
Place of Birth:Gelsenkirchen, West Germany
Nationality:German, Turkish
Education:Gesamtschule Berger Feld
Occupation:Football (Soccer) Player
Current Team:Arsenal F.C.,
Jersey Number:#10
Playing Position:Midfielder
Height:6 ft (1.8m)
Weight:76 kg
Strong Foot:Left
Parents:Mustafa Özil (father), Gulizar Özil (mother)
Siblings:Mutlu Özil (brother), Duygu Özil (sister), Nese Özil (sister)
Wife:Amine Gülşe (married 2019)
Children:N/A
Net Worth:$100 million
Zodiac Sign:Libra

Mesut Özil Childhood/Early Life, Junior/Youth Career

Mesut Özil Childhood Photo
Childhood photo of Mesut Özil. (Photo credit: Pinterest)

Mesut Özil was the last of four children born on October 15, 1988, to Turkish immigrants. Özil’s father Mustafa Özil worked as a metalworker while his mother Gulizar Özil was a housewife. He grew up in Bismarck, a German suburb mostly Inhabited by immigrants. With low employment rates, immigrants lived in poverty.

At a young age, Özil interest in kicking balls was ignited. Özil actively watched his elder brother perform dribbles, while he was still young. When he got older, Özil began playing football actively in a primary school.  He further developed football skills by playing in a local football pitch in his neighbourhood known as the Monkey cage. After he joined his school football team, he progressed to the semi-adult level where he played with other talented individuals.

Being one of the largest schools in Germany, Özil had to work really hard in order to earn a shot at representing his school. When he progressed to high school, Özil attended the school which then future Germany national team players, Manuel Neuer and Julian Draxler attended. His football skills made him quite popular and opened doors to larger competitions. While he played at high, Özil mind may have well been on the Veltins-Arena, the home stadium of Schalke 04 which was not far from his high school pitch.

Following his successful football stints at lower clubs in Gelsenkirchen, Özil was accepted into Schale 04 youth team at just 17 and played from 2005–2006.

Mesut Özil Professional Football Career, Profile & Stats

FC Schalke 04 (2006–2008)

Özil quickly progressed to make it to the clubs first team but refused an offer of €1.5 million annual payment which led to a fall out between him and the club’s management. Following the incident, he moved to Werder Bremen in January 2008.

Werder Bremen (2008–2010)

Özil signed a contract with Werder Bremen which will see him stay at the club till June 2011 for a transfer fee of €5 million. He was given the number 11 jersey. In April 2008, he scored his first Bundesliga goal. At the conclusion of the season, Werder Bremen finished in second in the Bundesliga. The 2008/09 season was not quite a good season for Werder Bremen as they finished in 10th place, despite this, Özil made a good impact in the team. He helped his side progress to the DFB-Pokal in 2009 and the UEFA Cup. In his last season with Werder Bremen, he led the club to the DFB-Pokal and was named the best player for the first half of the 2009/10 season.

Real Madrid (2010–2013)

After putting up a very impressive performance at the 2010 World Cup, Özil was subjected to interest from top clubs like Barcelona, Manchester United and Arsenal. But he sighed a deal with Real Madrid for a transfer fee set at €15 million. He debuted for the club in August 2011.  After repeated changing in his jersey number, he was given the number 23 jersey. Özil became a starting player for Madrid and debuted in the champions league in September. He ended his debut season for Madrid with 25 assists, the highest in Europe.

Following the arrival of José Mourinho at Madrid, Özil was granted the number 10 jersey.  He was shortlisted for the FIFA Ballon d’Or. He led Madrid to achieve 100 points in the 2011/12 season, the first team to reach the feat in the Laliga. He was also shortlisted for the UEFA Best Player Award. His last season at Madrid, the 2012/13 saw the arrival of Luka Modric and the continual playmaking of Özil. 

Arsenal (2013–date)

Mesut Özil playing for Arsenal in 2019
Mesut Özil playing for Arsenal in 2019. (Photo credit: paininthearsenal.com)

In September 2011, Özil made the move to EPL side Arsenal. The details of the transfer were not disclosed but were believed to be £42.5 million, which made him the most expensive German player of all time. A buy-back option that gave Madrid a 48-hour first option on the German Star, subject to sale off Özil to any Spanish club was included in the contract. Özil was given the number 11 jersey at Arsenal. He debuted for Arsenal in September 2013 and assisted in a goal after 11 minutes into the game. Özil scored his first goal for Arsenal in the champions league in a game against Napoli. He was nominated for the FIFA Ballon d’Or and was named to the UEFA Team of the Year. He finished his debut season with Arsenal with 13 assists and 7 goals in 40 games.

Following his success at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Özil returned to action for Arsenal in August of the 2014/15 season. In October, he suffered a knee injury which ruled him out of play for months. He returned to action in January 2015 to help his team win the FA Cup. He commenced his 2015/16 season by winning the 2015 community shield. He went on to have a compelling season which saw him made his 100th cap for Arsenal and win the Arsenal Player of the Year award.

After grabbing his first professional career hat trick in the 2016/17 season, Özil put an impressive performance to help Arsenal lift the FA Cup, despite failing to secure a Champions League qualification. Özil’s 2017/18 season was marred by injuries. He made just 35 appearances, scoring 5 goals and making 13 assists. In the 2018/19 season, he led Arsenal to the Europa League final where they were defeated by Chelsea. In the 2019/20 season, he was granted extended time to begin the season after an attempted robbery was made on him. He resumed his season on September 15 in a game against Watford.

Mesut Özil International/National Team Career

Though Özil was eligible to play for Germany and Turkey, he chose Germany. In September 2006, he was invited to play for the German U-17. He played for the U-21 team in 2007 and won the U-21 European Championship. He played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup where he was nominated for the Golden Ball. He played in Euros 2016 and won two Carlsberg Man of the Match Awards and was named to the UEFA Team of the Year for the Tournament. He was part of the winning squad at the 2014 World Cup. He also played in the Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Following a picture in which Özil and  İlkay Gündoğan, a German player of Turkish descent posed with Turkish President, Tayyip Erdoğan surfaced, tensions rose as the picture was interpreted to be the support of Erdoğan as the Turkish election was around the corner. The German football federation DFB distanced themselves from the picture. In a lengthy social media posts, he accused DFB president, Reinhard Grindel of racism. He thus retired as a form of protest but was criticised by several German internationals 

Mesut Özil Net Worth, Endorsements & Salary/Wage

Özil is one of the top-10 highest-paid football/soccer players in the world with a net worth valued at $100 million USD. His net worth is boosted by his investments and endorsements/sponsorship deals with Adidas, Mercedes Benz and Beats by Dre to mention a few. Özil is reportedly earning an annual salary of about £18.2 million GBP as of 2019.

Mesut Özil Wife, Personal Life, Trivia

He is married to Amine Gülşe, a former Miss Turkey. The couple announced they will fund the surgery of 1000 children to celebrate their marriage which was held in June 2019. Turkish President, Tayyip Erdoğan was one of the invited guests who attended the wedding.

Özil is a Muslim, he often recites the Quran before matches.

Few months after his marriage, Özil and club teammate Sead Kolašinac were victims of an attempted carjacking in England. 

Özil has been involved in various philanthropic activities such as the paying for the medical surgery of 23 Brazilian sick children with his 2014 FIFA World Cup earnings.

SEE MORE: Biography facts and profiles of famous footballers


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