Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (R) celebrates scoring the 1-1 equalizer with German teammate midfielder Mesut Ozil during the UEFA Champions League Group D football match BVB Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid in Dortmund, western Germany on October 24, 2012. AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ (Photo credit should read PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Arsenal: Özil reveals Ronaldo’s fury at his Real Madrid departure
Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Özil excelled alongside each other at Real Madrid. The latter has explained the former’s reaction to his departure.
Former Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Özil left the Spanish capital to join Premier League giants Arsenal on transfer deadline day in the summer window of 2013. The midfielder’s transfer to north London sent shockwaves across Madrid. The effect was not just on the fans, but the dressing room was also taken aback by the board’s decision to get rid of Özil.
Mesut Özil was the top assist provider in the La Liga campaign of 2012/13 and Cristiano Ronaldo inevitably turned out to be the primary beneficiary of the former Germany international’s services. The Portugal captain was particularly livid at seeing his friend and teammate go. Özil has now explained how the Portugal international reacted.
“The sale of Özil is bad news for me,” Ronaldo said according to the Arsenal midfielder. “He was the player who best understood my movements in front of goal. I’m very angry that Özil is being sold.”
Carlo Ancelotti checked in as the Real Madrid coach following Jose Mourinho’s resignation at the end of 2012/13 and signed the likes of Isco, Gareth Bale, Asier Illarramendi amongst others and felt that Mesut Özil was not good enough to regularly start having signed some bright talents in the summer. Apart from the boss, even the board wasn’t showing faith in him. Özil said five years after leaving the Spanish capital
“During the weekend I would be staying at Real Madrid but later I realized that the manager [Carlo Ancelotti] and the board didn’t have faith in me,”
The German midfielder then decided to listen to offers at the cusp of the window’s closure and eventually found solace after holding talks with Arsenal. Arsene Wenger’s faith in the 30-year-old paid off and Mesut finally completed a shocking transfer out of the Spanish capital, much to the agitation of Real Madrid’s faithful and Ronaldo.
Özil has enjoyed half a decade of ups and downs in north London but under Unai Emery in the 2018/19 campaign, the German has emerged as a top class player and is enjoying his football like he probably did in his Madrid days. Özil is also captaining the side on several occasions now.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad was Real Madrid’s decision of selling Mesut Ozil?
