When Mesut Ozil left Real Madrid for Arsenal in 2013 the footballer was blasted by the Madrid press for money grabbing. A series of stories were leaked to Real Madrid friendly media claiming Ozil was pressuring his then club for too much money, so Florentino Perez had decided to sell.
There were also claims about Ozil’s private life, and it appeared there was work going on to ruin the German internaitonal’s reputation and make Madrid selling him look like the right thing.
It didn’t work, Perez still receivied criticism from fans for the transfer and several Real Madrid players spoke publicly about how much they’d miss Ozil both on and off the pitch.
Perez had been so annoyed because Ozil’s father had questioned him, put up a challenge. In the player’s autobiography, to be released this month and being premiered by Bild, the Arsenal star has explained that his father was naive.
Rather than respond to Madrid’s initial renewal offer, regarded as derisory, with calmness and play the game, Ozil’s father instead stormed out of Perez’s office and slammed the door behind him.
There was no going back.
At that point Ozil needed to find a new club and he remembered a promise made to Arsene Wenger.
‘I chose, although it was not easy for me at the beginning, a number which I had in my mobile phone since 2010.
“Mr. Wenger,” I said. “I promised to contact you first if there was the possibility that I would look for another club. Now I am here.”
In fact, my change from Real Madrid to Arsenal London was the most difficult decision of my life.
In my mind was still the desire to become Champions League winner with Real. And I wanted to be a world class footballer with my fellow players from Real Madrid . The journey with Real was not yet finished.
There was also this man with the quiet voice, the possessive approach and the wise words that showed me that he really wanted me to be on his team. Wenger had been watching me intensively for three years and he gave me a much better feeling than Carlo Ancelotti did at Real at that moment.’
Ozil clearly has a close relationship with Wenger and Arsenal can only hope that swings renewal talks in their favour. If Ozil is being cold in negotiations for a new deal, it may just be that he’s learned from experience.
