Arsenal and Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil has revealed that he dreams of winning the Ballon d’Or in the future.
After helping Germany win the World Cup last year, Ozil’s form dipped in the opening few games of the current season. A ligament injury followed and in a way, it was a boon for the German as he put in some work at the gym and has looked much better since his return in January.
Ozil told Sport Bild, “Should I continue to improve myself and stay healthy, I want to get my hands on the Ballon d’Or in the upcoming years. I am convinced that it can work out. I am headed in the right direction.
“I am a world champion and play at a top club in the Premier League. It’s far more physical here [England] than in Spain or in the Bundesliga. I constantly have bruises, but it only makes me stronger, and physically I feel better than ever before.”
Ozil had a stunning start to his Arsenal career last season but faded away somewhat towards the end of the season. This season, despite putting in some good performances, Ozil has faced some criticism from pundits with Gary Neville being one of them. The former Manchester United full-back had said earlier this month, a Since he has been there you cannot doubt his quality but at times he looks like he is going through the motions, however much ground he covers.
a At Real Madrid he had a chance of winning league titles. At Arsenal that is not on the cards.a
Neville also criticised Ozil last week for swapping shirts at half time in Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Monaco.
Ozil however responded positively and said that it’s Neville’s job to do so and such comments just motivate him to perform better, “He’s entitled to say that. He wants to polarise as a pundit on TV. But in the end, such statements only give me an extra push.”
Germany will face Australia tonight before facing Georgia in the European Championship Qualifier. Joachim Low’s side have picked up just seven points in four games so far and will be under some pressure when they travel to Georgia. However, they’ll still be heavy favourites to beat Georgia who have lost their last three games. Even if Germany win the game, they’ll still be second thanks to Poland’s vastly superior goal difference.