Real Madrid's Mesut Ozil Tipped as the New Zinedine Zidane
Real Madrid have recently signed Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen in order to strengthen their midfield. Madrid had a lot of success at the start of this century, and their new boss, Jose Mourinho, is trying to imitate that particular period. Therefore, like the original Galacticos, Mourinho is trying to get solid midfield players.
In the old Galacticos, Zinedine Zidane was undoubtedly the best player in Madrid’s midfield. Zidane, at that particular point, was regarded as the best player of his generation, coming to Madrid with a lot of success under his belt. Upon his arrival, Zidane helped Real Madrid in winning a Champions League trophy and a La Liga title. Apart from that, Zidane also won the prestigious FIFA Player of the Year award for his outstanding performance for Real Madrid.
The new Madrid signing, Mesut Ozil, is now being tipped as the possible successor of Zidane. During his first appearance before the media, he was well received by Madrid’s press, who seemed overjoyed with the new signing. Later on, some members of the press declared Ozil as “the German Zidane”.
Ozil seemed flattered by this comparison, as he admitted that he was a big fan of Zidane. Talking about the transfer, Ozil said that Sami Khedira, his teammate in Germany and Madrid, and Jose Mourinho played an important role in his decision to join Madrid. He said that joining Madrid means winning trophies, as it is the best club in the world.
Real Madrid is in a difficult state right now, as they face their archrivals, Barcelona, in the new La Liga season. There has been no success in the last two seasons; rather, there have been many instances of humiliation. Last year, Madrid lost in Bernebeu against Barcelona by 6-2, and they were routed by a third division side in Copa Del Rey last season. Therefore, their pride is at stake, and the job of the restoration of pride has been entrusted to a few individuals, including the manager and squad.
Although a lot of investments have been made by Madrid in order to strengthen their squad, but, Barcelona has been getting stronger than before. Even with the players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuain and Ozil, Madrid does not look confident before their next season; hence, the confidence of the players is being boosted through different strategies. Thus, the new signing, Mesut Ozil, got compared to a legend, Zidane, which would give his confidence a boost before the start of the La Liga. Ironically, Ozil has a problem of sinking under pressure, as he did against Spain, in the 2010 World Cup semi-final.
Zinedine Zidane is, without a doubt, the best player of his generation. He has achieved tremendous success throughout his career, as he has won everything in football. Apart from that, he was instrumental in his teams’ successes, an effort that was recognized by FIFA, as they awarded Zidane with numerous titles. Zidane scored the winning goals in the 1998 World Cup final, and he also scored the winning goal in Madrid’s Champions League final. Apart from that, he was the main force behind the French victory in Euro 2000, and their runners-up campaign in the 2006 World Cup.
Because of his greatness, Zidane won the FIFA Player of the Year award three times. He was also declared as Europe’s best player in last 50 years by FIFA. The list of achievements is big, but the bottom line is that Zidane is probably one of the best footballers in history.
On the other hand, Mesut Ozil has achieved little in his life so far. Although he has great potential, he is still miles away from being a legend. Also, these comparisons are absurd because Zidane was a different player from Ozil. He was strong and had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. This made him a great holding midfielder and an outclass playmaker. Ozil, on the contrary, does not possess any such qualities.
Maybe this tactic by Mourinho could backfire in the future. Ozil would try his best to be like Zidane, and if he fails to emulate that level of success, he could lose his confidence. Still, Ozil might not be as great as Zidane, but he is nevertheless an exciting player, who can contribute well to the team. Therefore, football fans and pundits would all be looking forward to see him in action.
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