The Gunners playmaker has represented both teams and has pieced together some star-studded selections when it comes to the best of the best
Mesut Ozil has included all-time greats such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane is his dream Arsenal and Real Madrid five-a-side teams.
The German playmaker has represented both clubs during his own distinguished career, allowing him to experience life at two of Europe’s most iconic institutions.
He has stopped short of naming himself in the finest selection for either side, with there a wealth of talent for him to pick from.
No current Gunners stars make the cut for the north London outfit, with Sergio Ramos the only man still at the Santiago Bernabeu to be included.
For Arsenal, unsurprisingly, Ozil leans heavily on Premier League title-winning sides of the past, with the club’s ‘Invincibles’ of 2003-04 having secured legendary status at Emirates Stadium.
“For Arsenal, it would be Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, [Freddie] Ljungberg and the goalkeeper would be David Seaman. That’s my legendary team for Arsenal,” Ozil told Arsenal Player.
When switching his attention to Madrid, the World Cup winner said: “I think Zidane of course, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ramos, Raul… that’s already four or five. And obviously [Iker] Casillas.
“Those players are legends and played a lot of games for the club, and won everything with the club.
“I could also say Roberto Carlos, Guti or Ronaldo, the Brazilian one, but I didn’t play with them. They’ve had really, really good players in the past.”
Arsenal and Real Madrid legends are set to meet in a charity fixture at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Ozil could be among the spectators for that contest, with the 29-year-old having taken the decision to slip into international retirement.
He made that call after facing intense criticism before, during and after the 2018 World Cup, with plenty of questions still being asked of him at club level as well.
It has not been the easiest of times for the talented midfielder, but he has been assured that he retains the full support of those around him at Arsenal.
Club colleague Nacho Monreal has said of the furore surrounding Ozil: “People must understand that every player is completely different.
“He is like that [quiet] and 10 years ago he was the same. So you can’t expect on the pitch that he starts to fight, to talk with the referee because he never did it. He is not going to change in this case.
“The important thing is he plays at his highest level, gives a lot of assists, scores a lot of goals and basically helps the team. That’s what he knows. He doesn’t know how to go up to a player and grab him by the throat.
“People have been a bit unfair with him. He is a very famous player and obviously people love talking about him. Recently, it is always bad things. Like last time [against Chelsea], he was sick and that’s why he didn’t play.
“People started to invent that he had a problem with the manager. It wasn’t like that. He got a cold, he was sick, that’s it. That’s why he didn’t play.”
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