Mesut Ozil: I believed in Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid but Arsene Wenger convinced me of 'special' Arsenal move

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Standard Sport8 November 2016

Mesut Ozil says Arsene Wenger convinced him to leave Real Madrid to follow in the path of Arsenal greats such as Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires.

Ozil's impressive performances for Werder Bremen and then Gemany at the 2010 World Cup earned him a move to Jose Mourinho's Madrid, with the playmaker spending three successful years in the Spanish capital.

The midfielder then became Arsenal's record signing for £42.5million in 2013 - the same summer Mourinho left the Bernabeu - and Ozil has gone on to become a key player in Wenger's side.

Ozil was interviewed about his life and career by Arsenal, and let out an exclamation of joy at seeing a picture of himself joining the Gunners, saying: "A new capital, London [with] Arsenal was a special moment because [when I moved] to Real Madrid I spoke with Wenger.

“He wanted me to move to Arsenal, but I said 'believe me in the future, if I get the opportunity to change clubs, you will be the first address for me’.

“So what I did after that, we spoke and I decided to come to Arsenal because I remember Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires, such good footballers and I wanted to be a part of that, to come to Arsenal to be successful.

“It was good, my first and second year we won the FA Cup. I really enjoy playing for such a big club like Arsenal.”

Ozil has 18 months left on his current Gunners deal, and Wenger has called on the midfielder to cement his status as a Gunners legend by committing to a new long-term contract.

Speaking about his earlier move to Madrid, Ozil said he wanted to emulate his idol Zinedine Zidane - who won La Liga and a Champions League title as a Bernabeu player before becoming first-team coach last season.

“After the 2012 World Cup [I was] wanted by big clubs. My idol is Zidane and he played for such a big club like Madrid, and when I heard they made an offer to me, especially [Jose] Mourinho, I spoke with him on the phone.

“His ideas, what he thought about me as a player, I believed in him and moved to Madrid.

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“But everything was different - it's a really big team. If you go from Werder Bremen - maybe a talented young player - to such a big club and big players, the first time you sit there, what can you say? You are nothing.

“If you play for Real, even if you draw against Barca it's the worst, you have to win every game. If you win 10 in a row and then maybe draw at home against a small team, after that you have direct pressure, so I really learned there to control the pressure, to just enjoy it."

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