Mesut Ozil. If you don’t love him then I have to question your intellect.
Heavily criticised since his arrival at Arsenal, those who pay close attention to what the German does on the pitch and not just to the words written about him afterwards by people who clearly haven’t, know that he’s finally started to get the recognition he deserves this season.
Spending three months on the sidelines with a knee injury picked up at Stamford Bridge in October, when he returned he started to make even more people sit up and take notice.
Working hard for the team (he often covers more ground than most and against West Brom on Sunday put in more tackles than anyone else in the side apart from Kieran Gibbs), Ozil’s genius is often hard to see and hidden behind his demeanour which can make him seem disinterested at times.
Speaking to the Arsenal magazine, the mercurial German has revealed just how he benefited from his injury, how he’s settling in and how much he’s enjoying being an Arsenal players.
“I always felt comfortable here,” Ozil said. “Yes, there were times when it was really difficult for me, but now everything is going very well.
“The team are successful and I feel so at home here because of the way in which I was received by the whole team. The boss gives me a lot of help too because he gives me his trust, and that helps me to feel happy at Arsenal as well.
“When you come to England and watch the games, you can feel how tough it is. In other leagues, you have some games that are really difficult and others that aren’t. Here, the season is very long and with many games. You have to play in midweek too and without a winter break.
“As a player, that’s something you have to get used to. In my first season, not having a winter break meant that I could notice my body becoming a bit tired. I had the World Cup after my first season here. It was such a great time but when I came back, the fitness coach said that even though I felt fit, the freshness was missing.
“I continued to give everything to help the team and that’s how I got my injury. That was a really bitter time because I missed football but it’s an experience you have to go through as a player. My aim was always to come back stronger and, thanks to God, everything worked out.”
Ozil will be hoping he can work his magic on Saturday in the FA Cup and lift his second trophy in two seasons with the Gunners.
Ya, Gunners, Ya.