Mesut Ozil news: Former German midfielder explains how Jose Mourinho helped him choose Real Madrid over Barcelona

Mesut Ozil claimed that how much he liked the treatment he received from Mourinho when he came to look at Real Madrid.

Jose Mourinho in a file photo; Credit: Twitter/@ASRomaEN
By Karthik Raman | Mar 25, 2023 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Former German midfielder Mesut Ozil has revealed the reason behind choosing Real Madrid over Barcelona in 2010. Fresh from a positive World Cup with his national team, Ozil was being chased by both the Spanish giants in that summer. The midfielder has divulged that he had visited both clubs back then before picking the capital side. One of the main reasons behind is decision was then Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho. In a latest interview, Ozil has revealed a lot of interesting details about his switch from Werder Bremen to Real Madrid.

Mesut Ozil claimed that how much he liked the treatment he received from Mourinho when he came to look at Real Madrid. On the other hand, though then Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola did not even take the effort to meet him. This made Ozil’s choice easy, as he picked Los Blancos over the Catalan giants. The German went on to enjoy a fruitful time with Madrid during his stay at the club. He was also part of some memorable El Clasico moments.

However, it does come as a shock to imagine that Ozil was also considering to join Real Madrid’s rivals back in 2010. “It was a decision between Real Madrid and Barcelona. And in the end it was not a case of money,” Mesut Ozil told Marca. “I don’t know if this is known, but I visited Madrid and Barcelona at that time and the difference was Jose Mourinho. Mou gave me a VIP visit to Real Madrid. He took me to see the stadium and all the trophies they had won. That gave me goosebumps.”

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Pep Guardiola didn’t bother to meet me: Mesut Ozil

He added: “The visit in Barcelona was less enthusiastic and what was more disappointing is that Pep Guardiola didn’t bother to meet me. Before that trip, I really liked Barcelona’s style of football and I could really imagine playing with them, but Madrid went all out. So Jose Mourinho was without a doubt the most important factor in my decision. After my visits, my decision was one hundred percent clear: I wanted to be a Madridista.”

Mesut Ozil, who retired from football just a couple of days ago, did not stay at Real Madrid for long. However, he enjoyed plenty of great memories during his three-year stay at the club. He also played an important role in the La Liga title which Madrid won during his time with the club. He later joined Premier League side Arsenal. Ozil had his memorable moments with the London club, however, he was not able to maintain that consistency for longer periods. Either way, in his prime, it is difficult to find a better assist-provider than Mesut Ozil in world football.





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