Mesut Özil reiterates that his footballing idol is Zinedine Zidane, and that he models his game on the French midfielder.

It’s not the first time Özil has spoken of his admiration for Zidane, but the German midfielder has reaffirmed that the former Real Madrid man is his footballing hero.

“I admire many footballers, especially creative midfielders as that’s my style of play as well. My real idol has always been Zidane. I always watched his games and wanted to play like he did,” he said to Hypebeast via the Mirror.

Özil’s love for the Frenchman’s game makes Arsenal fans’ chant for him all the more personal. In the song, supporters make the slightly tongue-in-cheek claim that the German is “better than Zidane”, and just to be compared to his hero is probably a source of personal pride.

That’s probably one of the reason’s Özil is such a fan of the song.

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Hopefully, Özil will keep that in mind as the contract talks with the Gunners come to a head over the next couple of months, as fans in the stands have stood by the German, singing his song almost every time he’s involved.

As for having anything like the sort of impact on football as Zidane had, the next year could be key for the 28-year-old. First he has to return from injury and get back to his best on the pitch. Then he has to make a decision about his future.

And if he stays with the Gunners, hopefully he can get the team back into the Champions League places. Finally he has the chance to prove himself on the world stage in the Russia World Cup. It’s a big year for the German.