Özil: "I'm still a big Werder fan"

Mesut Özil is still to this day a Werder Bremen fan (Archiv photo: nordphoto).
First Team
Tuesday, 08.11.2016 / 17:18

Today, Mesut Özil is a star of the world game – a world champion and one of the best German footballers of recent history. Spending time at Real Madrid and now at Arsenal, he’s matured into an icon and one of the most valuable footballers in club football. However, the Gelsenkirchen native made his first steps in the beautiful game in a Green-White jersey, winning his first international cap while still plying his trade on the Weser. Today, six years later, Werder are still a club with a place in his heart.

“I really enjoyed playing for Werder and have some great experiences from my time there. I am a big fan of Werder,” explains Özil, in a YouTube video for his current club Arsenal. As the Germany international flicks through a photo album, he looks back at the different stages of his spectacular career to date. Özil also recalls his first international games, a phone call from Jose Mourinho explaining his interest in him and finally his transfer to Real Madrid from Werder.

Videos from Özil's time with Werder.

Mesut Özil knows to win & Mbom auf Spurensuche

Zeitreise mit den Pokalhelden

INSIDE: Lamine Sané friert, Mesut Özil fiebert mit

Von 90 Minuten und einem Rückkehrer

Die schönsten Werder-Tore 2010/11

Endlich wieder Fußball

"Eigentlich bin ich ganz anders..."

Kein König ohne Gefolge

Özil has two particularly fond memories of his time at Werder Bremen. “We were a really good team back then. We had a lot of good players like Diego, Claudio Pizarro, Torsten Frings and Tim Wiese. I really enjoyed making my breakthrough there,” said Özil. “We were very successful and even won the DFB Cup thanks to my winning goal in the 1-0 against Bayer Leverkusen in the final. I was very pleased,” said the midfield strategist looking back on his time at the club.

One former teammate of Özil, capped 83 times by his country, has had a particularly strong influence on him, and that man is still playing with him right now: Per Mertesacker. “I first met Per in Bremen. He was always supported us [the young players], just as he does here at Arsenal. He always gives it 100%,” said Özil, full of praise for his fellow teammate. The forward not only played with Mertesacker between 2008 and 2010 at Werder Bremen as well as for five years in the national side, but has also been alongside him in London since 2013. 

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