Mesut Özil’s autobiography, “Gunning for Greatness” is available or soon to be made available in 14 different countries. Eight years after he made his debut for Germany against Norway, he is preparing to meet Norway again in the World Cup qualifier in Stuttgart on Monday (20:45 CEST). He spoke to DFB.de about the ups and downs of his career.
DFB.de: Mr Özil, it’s all a bit complicated. Thomas Müller has played one more international game than you but you made your debut before him. Mario Gomez is older and so further into his career but he has won fewer caps than you. One thing for sure is that you are now one of the elders in the national side. How time flies, right?
Mesut Özil: Definitely. I’ve been playing for the national team for almost nine years. From the very first day, I have enjoyed being trusted and believed in by the head coach and I’ve always felt very happy here. I believe, and you can see from the way I play, that I have fun with the national team. Teammates that I met here are now some of my oldest friends.
DFB.de: Do you remember the opponent you faced, the place and the date of your international debut?
Özil: I’ve got to think about that one…
DFB.de: Like the game on Monday, it was against Norway.
Özil: It was in early 2009 in Düsseldorf. I came on for Piotr Trochowski. I don’t remember the exact events but I know for sure that I was incredibly proud to be playing for Germany for the first time.
DFB.de: We’d like to take four passages from your book, “Gunning for Greatness” and talk to you about them. Is that alright?
Özil: Go ahead.
DFB.de: An autobiography of a successful person, not only one of a football star, is often a “how to” book. The golden rules to success. In an early chapter in “Gunning for Greatness”, you tell your readers the best piece of advice that you were given by a coach. What was it?
Özil: At the time, I was at Berger Feld Comprehensive and I was the only Essen player taking part in training so I stood out. Schalke’s youth coach Norbert Elgert came over to me and asked me where I live and which team I play for. I told him I lived in Gelsenkirchen but I play for Essen. He said that can’t happen. So I went to Schalke for a trial but they sent me home, for whatever reason. But Elgert recognised my talent. At the time he always came out with long ambiguous sayings that I never really understood. Elgert said to us, “The key on the way to the top is to be patiently impatient”. That I am where I am today, a lot of it is down to this story and Norbert Elgert.
DFB.de: What did you take from Elgert’s saying?
Özil: That to come out on top in the end, sometimes you have to stick at it for a while. You also need a bit of luck. I waited patiently for my chance but I never gave up. But when I first heard what he said – “be patiently impatient” – I honestly did not know what he meant by it.
DFB.de: Are you more patient now than you were a few years ago?
Özil: To be honest, I’ve always been quite a patient person. I didn’t need to take the fastest route because I always fully believed in myself. I’ve always taken the honest route. But one thing is certain: If you don’t work hard, you won’t achieve your goals.”
DFB.de: In your book, you talk about being restricted by your celebrity status. You describe an evening where you wanted to go for dinner with friends and suddenly the paparazzi were clinging on to the bumper of your car.
Özil: It’s always quite bad in London. It’s simply that I’m the type of person who likes spending time with family and friends. And of course I’d like to go to watch a film or just go out to eat every now and again. I’m very lucky to play for a club which has fans all over the world. Therefore I’m very quickly recognised. And there are also journalists who have to report on the club and on me. I know that that is a part of a footballer’s life. But it is very exhausting, being shot by photographers at every opportunity, mainly when I’m going about my private life.
DFB.de: How has this harder side of the game, which you describe in great detail in “Gunning for Greatness”, changed you as a person?
Özil: Well every person learns each day. It’s the same for me. I’ve learnt with time to just block some things out. I’ve just decided on clear priorities in my life. Sometimes I switch off and look ahead to the future. I can’t take every criticism to heart. Everyone has their own opinion. There are people who like you and people who don’t. That’s the way it is. You’ve got to surround yourself with honest people. And only their opinions count.
DFB.de: Your book ends with a nice sentence: “Together it always works better.” Do you believe then that with your ancestry and your career, you have brought Germans and people with a Turkish background closer together?
Özil: I was one of the first players with a migration background to play for the national side in this generation of players. I was, of course, born in Gelsenkirchen but my parents are from Turkey and moved to Germany. Since the 2010 World Cup, I’ve sort of been the poster boy for good relations between Germans and Turks. The Turkish communities in Germany have suddenly begun to support the Germany national side. People celebrated our victories together. That never happened before.
DFB.de: What does integration mean to you?
Özil: That you are respectful and open with each other and you have a sort of interest in another culture.
DFB.de: Enough politics. In one part of your book, you write: “I almost don’t notice the crowd at all during a game. Apart from at corners and throw-ins. Apart from in those situations, as soon as a game kicks off, it’s as if someone has pressed the mute button on the remote control.”
Özil: Exactly, because you are concentrating and you want to give your best on the pitch. As soon as the referee blows his whistle, all that counts is the game. I block everything else out. I only take notice of the crowd at corners and throw-ins. Apart from that I’m fully focused. And I enjoy it.
DFB.de: How intensively do you prepare for an opponent?
Özil: For me, it is important to relax before a game, listen to music, so that I look forward to a game. Modern football is very, very quick. You have to make decisions quickly. That’s one of my strengths. It means that whilst I’m receiving a pass, I can consider all the options I have and so I’m always prepared in that sense.
DFB.de: You also talk about the welcome back in Berlin the day after being in the Maracanã. “This moment made everything worth it. Every tough training session. Every dressing-down in the changing room. Every tough critic. Every boo. Every critical comment.” What are the chances of another open-top bus journey through Berlin on 15th July 2018?
Özil: We have a really good squad depth. Every new player coming in brings in a lot of quality. We have the potential but we can’t talk about the possibility whatsoever. Everything has to fit into place at a World Cup. Ability on its own isn’t enough. We have to work hard. And most importantly, we have to believe in ourselves.
DFB.de: If you could pick one thing that you need to become world champions, which team quality would it be?
Özil: To become world champions, you have to find the perfect balance. And honestly, I think we have that. We have world class players all across the pitch. And in a World Cup, across a month, seven games, you need to have a deep squad. We will have injuries and players who will be tired and have to be rested. I hope that we leave Russia with another world title.
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Mesut Özil’s autobiography, “Gunning for Greatness” is available or soon to be made available in 14 different countries. Eight years after he made his debut for Germany against Norway, he is preparing to meet Norway again in the World Cup qualifier in Stuttgart on Monday (20:45 CEST). He spoke to DFB.de about the ups and downs of his career.
DFB.de: Mr Özil, it’s all a bit complicated. Thomas Müller has played one more international game than you but you made your debut before him. Mario Gomez is older and so further into his career but he has won fewer caps than you. One thing for sure is that you are now one of the elders in the national side. How time flies, right?
Mesut Özil: Definitely. I’ve been playing for the national team for almost nine years. From the very first day, I have enjoyed being trusted and believed in by the head coach and I’ve always felt very happy here. I believe, and you can see from the way I play, that I have fun with the national team. Teammates that I met here are now some of my oldest friends.
DFB.de: Do you remember the opponent you faced, the place and the date of your international debut?
Özil: I’ve got to think about that one…
DFB.de: Like the game on Monday, it was against Norway.
Özil: It was in early 2009 in Düsseldorf. I came on for Piotr Trochowski. I don’t remember the exact events but I know for sure that I was incredibly proud to be playing for Germany for the first time.
DFB.de: We’d like to take four passages from your book, “Gunning for Greatness” and talk to you about them. Is that alright?
Özil: Go ahead.
DFB.de: An autobiography of a successful person, not only one of a football star, is often a “how to” book. The golden rules to success. In an early chapter in “Gunning for Greatness”, you tell your readers the best piece of advice that you were given by a coach. What was it?
Özil: At the time, I was at Berger Feld Comprehensive and I was the only Essen player taking part in training so I stood out. Schalke’s youth coach Norbert Elgert came over to me and asked me where I live and which team I play for. I told him I lived in Gelsenkirchen but I play for Essen. He said that can’t happen. So I went to Schalke for a trial but they sent me home, for whatever reason. But Elgert recognised my talent. At the time he always came out with long ambiguous sayings that I never really understood. Elgert said to us, “The key on the way to the top is to be patiently impatient”. That I am where I am today, a lot of it is down to this story and Norbert Elgert.
DFB.de: What did you take from Elgert’s saying?
Özil: That to come out on top in the end, sometimes you have to stick at it for a while. You also need a bit of luck. I waited patiently for my chance but I never gave up. But when I first heard what he said – “be patiently impatient” – I honestly did not know what he meant by it.
DFB.de: Are you more patient now than you were a few years ago?
Özil: To be honest, I’ve always been quite a patient person. I didn’t need to take the fastest route because I always fully believed in myself. I’ve always taken the honest route. But one thing is certain: If you don’t work hard, you won’t achieve your goals.”
DFB.de: In your book, you talk about being restricted by your celebrity status. You describe an evening where you wanted to go for dinner with friends and suddenly the paparazzi were clinging on to the bumper of your car.
Özil: It’s always quite bad in London. It’s simply that I’m the type of person who likes spending time with family and friends. And of course I’d like to go to watch a film or just go out to eat every now and again. I’m very lucky to play for a club which has fans all over the world. Therefore I’m very quickly recognised. And there are also journalists who have to report on the club and on me. I know that that is a part of a footballer’s life. But it is very exhausting, being shot by photographers at every opportunity, mainly when I’m going about my private life.
DFB.de: How has this harder side of the game, which you describe in great detail in “Gunning for Greatness”, changed you as a person?
Özil: Well every person learns each day. It’s the same for me. I’ve learnt with time to just block some things out. I’ve just decided on clear priorities in my life. Sometimes I switch off and look ahead to the future. I can’t take every criticism to heart. Everyone has their own opinion. There are people who like you and people who don’t. That’s the way it is. You’ve got to surround yourself with honest people. And only their opinions count.
DFB.de: Your book ends with a nice sentence: “Together it always works better.” Do you believe then that with your ancestry and your career, you have brought Germans and people with a Turkish background closer together?
Özil: I was one of the first players with a migration background to play for the national side in this generation of players. I was, of course, born in Gelsenkirchen but my parents are from Turkey and moved to Germany. Since the 2010 World Cup, I’ve sort of been the poster boy for good relations between Germans and Turks. The Turkish communities in Germany have suddenly begun to support the Germany national side. People celebrated our victories together. That never happened before.
DFB.de: What does integration mean to you?
Özil: That you are respectful and open with each other and you have a sort of interest in another culture.
DFB.de: Enough politics. In one part of your book, you write: “I almost don’t notice the crowd at all during a game. Apart from at corners and throw-ins. Apart from in those situations, as soon as a game kicks off, it’s as if someone has pressed the mute button on the remote control.”
Özil: Exactly, because you are concentrating and you want to give your best on the pitch. As soon as the referee blows his whistle, all that counts is the game. I block everything else out. I only take notice of the crowd at corners and throw-ins. Apart from that I’m fully focused. And I enjoy it.
DFB.de: How intensively do you prepare for an opponent?
Özil: For me, it is important to relax before a game, listen to music, so that I look forward to a game. Modern football is very, very quick. You have to make decisions quickly. That’s one of my strengths. It means that whilst I’m receiving a pass, I can consider all the options I have and so I’m always prepared in that sense.
DFB.de: You also talk about the welcome back in Berlin the day after being in the Maracanã. “This moment made everything worth it. Every tough training session. Every dressing-down in the changing room. Every tough critic. Every boo. Every critical comment.” What are the chances of another open-top bus journey through Berlin on 15th July 2018?
Özil: We have a really good squad depth. Every new player coming in brings in a lot of quality. We have the potential but we can’t talk about the possibility whatsoever. Everything has to fit into place at a World Cup. Ability on its own isn’t enough. We have to work hard. And most importantly, we have to believe in ourselves.
DFB.de: If you could pick one thing that you need to become world champions, which team quality would it be?
Özil: To become world champions, you have to find the perfect balance. And honestly, I think we have that. We have world class players all across the pitch. And in a World Cup, across a month, seven games, you need to have a deep squad. We will have injuries and players who will be tired and have to be rested. I hope that we leave Russia with another world title.
