MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 21:21:14| >> :120:6551:6551:

The highs and lows of Mesut Ozil's enigmatic career

The German was at his best against the Foxes.

Mesut Ozil produced a man-of-the-match performance after being named Arsenal captain for Monday's 3-1 Premier League win over Leicester.

The enigmatic German scored one goal and made two others for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the Gunners recorded a 10th successive victory in all competitions.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at some of the highs and lows of Ozil's career.

HIGHS

Leading by example

The 30-year-old is often criticised for going missing in games but he was at his best on Monday evening to tear apart the Foxes. Captaining the north London club for the first time, Ozil was at the heart of his side's best attacking play, including a superb assist for the third goal.

World Cup winner

Ozil
Ozil, right, won the World Cup with Germany in 2014 (Mike Egerton/PA)

At the end of his first season with Arsenal, Ozil won football's ultimate prize as Germany became the first European team to win a World Cup on South American soil. He started all seven of his country's matches in Brazil, scoring the extra-time winner in the second-round success against Algeria.

Always assisting

Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil was Arsenal's standout performer in the 2015-16 campaign (Scott Heavey/PA)

Ozil, who has won three FA Cups since moving to England from Real Madrid for £42.5million in 2013, picked up Arsenal's player of year award for his fantastic form in the 2015-16 season. He laid on 19 Premier League goals for his team-mates that campaign – the most of any player in the division – including assists in seven successive matches.

LOWS

International issues

On the back of Germany's limp World Cup defence during the summer, Ozil was heavily criticised for his performances before announcing his international retirement. He cited mistreatment from the German Football Association and a lack of protection from racist abuse. Ozil, who is of Turkish descent, was also widely criticised in Germany for being photographed with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Criticism from club greats

Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit was among a number of former Arsenal players to criticise Ozil last season (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Ozil took to Facebook to defend himself in September last year following negative comments from a number of former Gunners players. With his contract and long-term future still in doubt, he was accused of having a "defeatist attitude" and "going through the motions" by Emmanuel Petit and Martin Keown, while Paul Merson claimed the forward "doesn't show up half the time".

Confidence crisis

Mesut Ozil
Ozil missed an important penalty against Bayern Munich in 2014 (John Walton/PA)

Ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger suggested Ozil was drained of confidence after "shaking his head for five or 10 minutes" following a crucial penalty miss in a Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich in February 2014. The player apologised to fans but was subsequently dropped for the next two matches and did not start a Premier League game for more than two months, partly due to injury.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '714fa072-e420-4380-9e9f-6beb41735668');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'The highs and lows of Mesut Ozil\u2019s enigmatic career'});

ID:339386: cacheID:339386:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:11175:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Unai Emery gestures with two fingers during the Europa League group game between Arsenal and Vorskla Poltava on September 20, 2018
Read Next:
Unai Emery hails Arsenal's "heart"
>
Read more about Mesut Ozil Football Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!