Arsenal midfield maestro Ozil reveals his admiration for Zidane

Applauded for his style and poise on the ball, Mesut Ozil has lifted the lid on the player he tried to model his game on – a certain Zinedine Zidane.

Ozil moved to the Emirates from Real Madrid in 2013 as the Gunners forked out £42.5 million for the midfielder.

(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

He may not have been able to help them to the Premier League but he has played his part in two FA Cup successes.

The 28-year-old German international continues to divide opinion, however, while manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that talks about his contract – Ozil has just over a year left on his current one with the club – are on hold until the summer.

But while he tries to do his talking on the pitch, Ozil admits it was France legend Zidane who first inspired him to become the player he is today.

“I always saw him as a complete player,” said Ozil. “He could use both feet, was dangerous in front of goals, strong defensively, good in the air and had an unbelievable first touch.

“A lot of people told me at the time that my style of play reminded them of him. They’d say ‘you are calm and seem to have time on the pitch, even if ten people are going at you, you always find a solution’. That always fascinated me about Zidane.

“I watched what he’d do on the pitch and want to do it myself when I was a young kid. Most things I picked up quickly, thank God. As I said, he was my idol.

“I’ve met him and it’s all the nicer when you get to know his character and know him as a person. For me that was a special moment back then.”