Ahead of Arsenal’s key Premier League fixture with Manchester United, Mesut Ozil has confirmed that his footballing idol is Zinedine Zidane and that when he met the Frenchman, he was struck by nerves.
Ozil has rediscovered his best form at the Emirates Stadium of late and has even found himself linked with a move back to LaLiga with Barcelona; his current contract with the North London club expires in June 2018.
“When I arrived at Real Madrid I met Zidane, my hands were sweating because I was so nervous,” he explained in an interview with Football MGZN.
“Zidane was very kind and positive though. We are still in contact to this day.”
As a player, Zidane influenced many of the current generation of professionals and the former Werder Bremen winger is no different.
“The way he played and directed matches always fascinated me,” he admitted. “It still fascinates me.
“His technique and creativity was outstanding; I always wanted to be like him.”
When pressed on his future goals, the German international stated that a return to the Champions League was imperative after Arsenal failed to qualify for the 2017/18 edition.
“I want to win the Champions League,” he confirmed.
One of the biggest topics of discussion at the present moment centres around which European league is the strongest, the Premier League undoubtedly has the strongest brand, yet many purists feel LaLiga produces the most entertaining football.
Ozil though doesn’t feel there is much separating the top divisions, although the Premier League feels more difficult to him after playing in both.
“In terms of performance, the leagues in Europe hardly differ,” he stated.
“In the big leagues, the best players in the world are distributed throughout.
“The level is probably the same, although the Premier League is more difficult.”
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