When Arsenal signed Mesut Ozil for a record transfer fee in September 2013, the Gooners on social media went haywire and a whole lot was expected from the German midfield maestro. It took the lad just 11 minutes to make an impact as he went on to feed Olivier Giroud with an assist as the Gunners beat Sunderland 3-1. Two-and-a-half seasons later, the midfielder has notched up a century of appearances for the Gunners, scoring 17 goals and creating 37 assists. According to his personal website, Ozil has made 4,805 passes at Arsenal with a pass accuracy of 87 percent. (who counts these stuff?!)
In these 100 games Ozil has played, Arsenal has won 62, drawn 17 and lost 21. He has won two FA Cups with the club thus far and there’s the potential for Ozil to win the Premier League this season. Ozil’s time at Arsenal has been blissful for both the player and the club, and he has oozed class from the moment he kicked the ball against Sunderland till his last game with his laceless boots against Chelsea.
While he’s renowned for his wonderful pin-point assists, Ozil has scored some memorable goals and there are some that deserve honorable mentions – his maiden goal against SSC Napoli in the 2013/14 Champions League, his delicious placed finish against Aston Villa last season, his wonderful free kick against Liverpool last season, his delightful chip against Norwich this season and my personal favorite, his finishing touch from a team move that left Manchester United’s David de Gea rooted to the spot.
Here’s a YouTube compilation showing all Ozil’s goals with the club with the only notable exclusions being his strikes against Norwich and Bournemouth.
The official site has created an infographic on Ozil that’s worth a view.
Apparently, Ozil is the 59th player to notch up 100 appearances under Arsene Wenger. The record holder is Patrick Vieira (402 apps) but in the present squad, Theo Walcott (327), Aaron Ramsey (251), Tomas Rosicky (245), Mathiu Flamini (239), Laurent Koscielny (231), Kieran Gibbs (201), Per Mertesacker (197), Wojciech Szczesny (181), Santi Cazorla (168), Olivier Giroud (166), Jack Wilshere (154), Mikel Arteta (148) and Nacho Monreal (114) have made more appearances for the boss than Ozil.
This season, Ozil has been a creative force, amassing 16 assists in the Premier League, which means that he’s four short of matching Thierry Henry’s long standing record in the League. Since his virtuoso performance against Bournemouth that saw him score one goal and create an assist for Gabriel Paulista, Ozil has been somewhat subdued in his last three appearances for the club but we know that he is capable of doing the unthinkable on the pitch.
Here’s to another 100 games at Arsenal.
Sayonara.
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