77 Facts About Mesut Özil

1. Mesut Ozil was unveiled as an ambassador for the Big Shoe initiative, which uses the FIFA World Cup as inspiration to fund operations for young people around the world.

2. Mesut Ozil will be hoping to start for Arsenal when the Gunners return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon with a crunch clash against Manchester City at The Etihad.

3. Mesut Ozil has refused a loan switch to PSG at the 11th hour despite falling out of favour with Unai Emery at Arsenal, according to reports in the German media.

4. Mesut Ozil ended the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign as Germany's top scorer with 8 goals.

5. Mesut Ozil provided 7 assists, more than any European international during Euro 2012 qualification.

6. Mesut Ozil was born on 15 October 1988, in Gelsenkirchen, West Germany.

7. Mesut Ozil made his father, Mustafa Mesut Ozil his agent in 2011 but then decided to fire his father and replace him with his elder brother, Mutlu Ozil which resulted in a break down in their relationship.

8. Mesut Ozil is a devout Muslim and recites the Qur'an before every match.

9. Mesut Ozil is presently dating Turkish beauty queen, actress, and model, Amine Gulse.

10. Mesut Ozil has three siblings and is the youngest among all his siblings and they are his brother, Mutlu Ozil, who is the oldest of them all and his two elder sisters Nese and Dugyu Ozil.

11. Mesut Ozil is a German attacking midfielder of Turkish origin born on October 15, 1988, in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

12. Mesut Ozil fights his battles wearing a pair of size Adidas Predator LZ and like the name of his boot, hunts down spaces and areas to create goal-scoring opportunities.

13. Mesut Ozil started his senior career at club Schalke in the Bundesliga in 2006 and then transferred to Werder Bremen in 2008.

14. Mesut Ozil has not spoken to his father since his actions.

15. Mesut Ozil began dating Mandy Capristo, a singer by profession, from 2013 but their relationship came to an end in 2014 after it was reported that he was seeing another woman.

16. Mesut Ozil dated Aida Yespica, a stunning beauty pageant queen who became Miss Venezuela in 2002.

17. Mesut Ozil have two elder sisters namely; Nese Ozil and Dugyu Ozil (Left).

18. Mesut Ozil allowed his father Mustafa to become his manager after he made it in football.

19. Mesut Ozil progressed from its youth level to semi adult which denotes college football level.

20. Mesut Ozil would be there at the pitch 'every day whether it be sun, snow or rain', according to his older brother Mutlu.

21. Mesut Ozil started off his life as a child from a very poor home.

22. Mesut Ozil was born on October 15, 1988, in Gelsenkirchen, Germany to Mustafa Ozil and Gulizar Ozil (mother).

23. Mesut Ozil has taken two penalties for Arsenal and missed both.

24. Mesut Ozil starts as captain in Arsenal's Premier League clash with Cardiff City on Tuesday.

25. Mesut Ozil made allegations of racism in German football after the World Cup.

26. At the age of 30, Mesut Ozil should be entering the prime of his professional career.

27. Mesut Ozil has gone from fan favorite to the most highly-paid benchwarmer at Arsenal.

28. Mesut Ozil has appeared in commercials for Adidas Predator boots with other star players such as Lionel Messi, Gareth Bale, Thomas Muller and James Rodriguez.

29. In 2013, Mesut Ozil signed a sponsorship deal with German sportswear and equipment supplier Adidas.

30. Mesut Ozil invited the child, Charlie, to be a guest at his private box and in the player's lounge during a game with Sunderland at Emirates Stadium.

31. Mesut Ozil assisted Bastian Schweinsteiger's goal in the 92nd minute.

32. Mesut Ozil scored a left-footed half-volley from the edge of the penalty area against Ghana in the final group game, ensuring Germany progressed to the second round as group winners.

33. Mesut Ozil made his debut for the senior side during a friendly match against Norway on 11 February 2009.

34. Mesut Ozil was a member of the German under-21 team from 2007.

35. Mesut Ozil had earlier assisted Alexis Sanchez to give the Gunners the lead in the sixth minute of the match.

36. Mesut Ozil missed the chance to score his fourth Arsenal goal when he saw his penalty in the win over Marseille saved by Steve Mandanda.

37. Mesut Ozil made his debut for Arsenal in their league game away to Sunderland on 14 September 2013.

38. Mesut Ozil walked off the pitch as a second-half substitute to standing ovations in his first two games as a starter at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

39. Mesut Ozil got his first assist with Real Madrid in the 74th minute against Ajax after he crossed for a Gonzalo Higuain goal.

40. Mesut Ozil was brought in to back up teammate Kaka, but due to his surgery, Ozil obtained a starting role.

41. Mesut Ozil was given the number 26 in the pre-season and 19 for his debut.

42. Mesut Ozil was sought by teams like Barcelona, Arsenal and Real Madrid.

43. Mesut Ozil excelled in Europe where he led Werder Bremen to the final of the last ever UEFA Cup, losing out to Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine.

44. Mesut Ozil was deployed a midfielder and wore 17 as his squad number, after starting as a playmaker and central attacking midfielder in the place of the suspended Lincoln in Ligapokal matches against Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.

45. Mesut Ozil has won a record five German Player of the Year awards.

46. Mesut Ozil garnered break-out attention at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where at age 22, Ozil was instrumental in the side's campaign where they reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual champions Spain.

47. Mesut Ozil turned down "crazy" offers to stay at Arsenal, according to the player's agent.

48. Mesut Ozil turned down numerous offers to play in Asia, according to agent.

49. Arsene Wenger hopes Mesut Ozil can be convinced to come out of international retirement as Germany still need him.

50. Mesut Ozil was born in 1988 to Turkish parents at Gelsenkirchen in what was then West Germany.

51. Mesut Ozil provided fans with an emphatic performance against Leicester on Monday night.

52. Mesut Ozil was born and raised in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen.

53. Mesut Ozil has hailed Matteo Guendouzi as the best young player at Arsenal.

54. Mesut Ozil calls Matteo Guendouzi the best young player at Arsenal.

55. Mesut Ozil has yet to talk publicly about his decision to stop playing for Germany after the World Cup, citing "racism and disrespect" as his.

56. Mesut Ozil has not always been on good terms with Unai Emery.

57. As part of the BigShoe project, Mesut Ozil donated his 2014 World Cup winnings, an estimated £240,000, to pay for 23 sick Brazilian children to have medical surgery as a "personal thank you for the hospitality of the people of Brazil.

58. Mesut Ozil is a third-generation Turkish-German, who, in reference to his game, concludes, "My technique and feeling for the ball is the Turkish side to my game.

59. As of January 2016, Mesut Ozil has the best ratio of assists per game in the history of the Premier League.

60. In the final, Mesut Ozil played 120 minutes before being replaced by Arsenal teammate Per Mertesacker.

61. Mesut Ozil ended the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign as Germany's top scorer with eight goals.

62. On 29 February 2012, Mesut Ozil was recognised as Germany's best international of the year for 2011 prior to kick-off at a friendly against France in Bremen.

63. Mesut Ozil confirmed his reputation as a decisive passer, as he provided seven assists, more than any European international during Euro 2012 qualification.

64. Mesut Ozil was one of the leading forces in Germany's qualification for UEFA Euro 2012, scoring five times during the campaign as Germany won all ten of its games to top their group.

65. Mesut Ozil was selected for Germany's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, starting in all of the team's matches.

66. Mesut Ozil missed Arsenal's opening day defeat to Liverpool, after his excursions at UEFA Euro 2016 meant he was not match-fit.

67. Mesut Ozil returned to club training in the middle of August after participating in Germany's 2014 FIFA World Cup win in Brazil.

68. Mesut Ozil played all three of Arsenal's remaining fixtures during the last month of his debut season in England.

69. Mesut Ozil was showing signs of old form and started in Arsenal's second leg Champions League last 16 clash with Bayern Munich.

70. On 2 September 2013, Mesut Ozil agreed to join English side Arsenal.

71. At the end of the season, Mesut Ozil had 26 assists, more than any other player in the leagues.

72. Mesut Ozil expressed his desire to end his football days at the club in an interview with German magazine kicker, saying, "I'd like to end my career at Real Madrid.

73. On 14 August 2011, Mesut Ozil scored his first goal against Barcelona in El Clasico in the first leg of the 2011 Supercopa de Espana.

74. On 31 January 2008, Mesut Ozil moved to Werder Bremen for a reported fee of €5 million, signing a contract with the German club until 30 June 2011.

75. Mesut Ozil was a key contributor as Germany won the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, gaining several plaudits for his versatility and creativity.

76. Mesut Ozil plays mostly as an attacking midfielder, but can be deployed as a winger.

77. Mesut Ozil is a German professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Arsenal.