“It was perfect,” Mesut Ozil hails Cristiano Ronaldo as one of his best ‘gifts’

Mesut Ozil speaks about his time with Cristiano Ronaldo after retirement from football

Mesut Ozil, arguably one of the best playmakers of all time, has recently spoken about his time at Real Madrid playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. He stated that it was a pleasure playing with the goal machine and hailed the Portuguese as the best player in the world. In an interview, Ozil reminisced about playing with the Al-Nassr superstar.

Real Madrid’s all-time top-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo played with recently-retired playmaker Mesut Ozil for three seasons between 2010 and 2013. Ozil and Ronaldo formed one of the best partnerships, effortlessly finding each other on the pitch. The pair played 149 matches together for Los Blancos, combining for an impressive 39 goals.

Mesut Ozil: “It was a lot of fun playing with Cristiano Ronaldo, who for me is the best of all time. We both got along very well, it was perfect… Giving passes to a player who almost never failed was a gift.” Cristiano Ronaldo spoke out after Real Madrid sold Ozil to Arsenal in 2013, calling it bad news for him. He said: “The sale of Ozil is very bad news for me. He was the player who best knew my moves in front of goal. I’m angry about Ozil leaving.” It shows the duo had a very good relationship both on and off the field.

FS Video

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Ozil, 34, hung up his boots on Wednesday announcing his decision via social media channels. He played for Schalke, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Fenerbahce and Basaksehir over the course of his senior career. He was also integral to Germany’s FIFA World Cup win in 2014.

Rewinding German playmaker Mesut Ozil’s stellar career

IMG COM 20230324 1520 42 3251 — Mesut Ozil for Arsenal (credit: Twitter)

The former Arsenal and Real Madrid playmaker announced on social media that he was terminating his contract with Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir due to continuing injury issues. Having garnered a big move to Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2010, Ozil won a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana. A move to Arsenal in 2013 saw Ozil flourish into one of the Premier League‘s greatest creative forces, while he won the FA Cup four times during his stay in north London. Stints at Fenerbahce and Basaksehir were underwhelming, but the 34-year-old leaves behind an unforgettable legacy.

The 2015-16 campaign was arguably Ozil’s finest in an Arsenal shirt, with his tally of 146 chances created in the Premier League the most of any player in a single season in the competition. Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne has come closest to breaking that record when the Belgian crafted 136 goalscoring opportunities for team-mates in the 2019-20 campaign. Ozil managed six league goals in the 2015-16 campaign but laid on a further 19. That was the only time he registered double figures for assists in a top-flight season while at Arsenal, something he managed in each of his three seasons in La Liga.

Ozil is one of just four Arsenal players to have registered more than 50 Premier League assists for the club. His 122 assists across a ten-season stretch between 2008 and 2018 were only eclipsed by Lionel Messi. Starting in 2008, Ozil recorded more than 12 assists for five consecutive seasons. His numbers would only improve in Madrid as he created 47 goals between 2010 and 2013.