What a thread. I don't know Ozil was massively underrated here until now.
As he's been improved so much this season & being Madrid's man of the match in their last 2 games againts us, maybe some of you change your mind by now, maybe not necessarily because we badly need him, but to weaken Madrid and just so he wouldn't be a torn for us in the next 5 - 7 years.
Anyway, I personally would love to have Ozil at Barca. Kind of wish we signed him at summer 2010, but oh well. I watched Bundesliga a bit and liked to watch Bremen when they still had Diego. Ozil was really young back then but already showed his class and he shone even brigther after Diego left and basically carried that team that they didn't even feel Diego left. So many thought he's a nobody before the world cup 2010. The truth is he's been great since 2 years before that.
When he moved to Madrid, most never expected him to do so amazingly well with all the pressure, the little patience, and the fierce competition within that team. Even with successful first season, many still didn't rate him, using the big game card and use his performance againts Spain and us as references even though the only games he trully flop was the one againts Spain and the 5-0 lost. He's great when came on in the last 30 minutes againts in the draw at Bernabeu, so was in the final CDR. At Mestalla, I remember him setting chances after chances to Ronaldo and also Pepe in the first half when Madrid dominating.
But the turning point was definitely this season where he really took it to the next level, starting from scoring againts us in supercopa, I guess that gave him a lot of confidence. I was really impressed by his last 2 games againts us, defensively as well, & he played full game too in those games. His assist to Ronaldo in the last game basically decided the title. If there's still any doubt about his ability to make a difference in big games or his endurance to play 90 minutes, it should be dissapear by now. Even when eliminated by Bayern he was the one that kept Madrid a live until the penalty shout out with his goal in first leg and his assist in the second leg. He is trully a apecial player, Madrid is lucky to have him and I hate Madrid, really hope he's playing anywhere else but Madrid just so I can cheer for him without at the same time hating the consequence (him helping Madrid).
How some of you thought Kroos or Gotze should start ahead of him as Germany main AM is beyond me. Gotze had one nice season and that's it, people can speculate about how much potential he had but it is nothing when he's up againts Ozil who's just as talented if not better and already proved his talent at the highest level with the NT and with Madrid as well. So is his mental strength. One couldn't perform with Madrid week in and week out with big name player breathing on their neck without a rock solid mentality. He was also the star of the series of Germany NT games during qualification and friendly before the Euro 2012. Kroos was ahead of Gotze this season, but still not at Ozil's level, he was also a different kind of playmaker than Ozil as he's more like Xavi while Ozil's more like Iniesta. With the way Low set up his team and deplot his AM, Ozil was by far the most fit & in form guy to play that role. Kroos would have a better chance competing with Bastian rather than with Ozil. If anyone in German NT team bar Neuer & Lahm already had his place booked in starting XI already, it would be Ozil & righfully so. He's already the main man in German NT. Funny that it seemed whatever he did never seem to be enough for the doubters and any emerging talent who havent't done nothing even close to him is suppose to have more potential than him.
As much as I like him & would like to have him with open arm, I don't think we should have him. We have Thiago and Fabregas and one of them will suffer with Ozil in the equation to compete, while Xavi and Iniesta will still be the main man too, though I could see him starting on the flank, Ozil & Messi upfront will combine beautifully.
