Arsenal’s Ozil reveals admiration of Ronaldo

Four years may have passed since Mesut Ozil was a Real Madrid player but the impact of their star player Cristiano Ronaldo remains for the German international.

Arsenal’s Ozil moved to the Emirates for around €50 million back in 2013 but reports suggested his Portuguese teammate was unhappy to lose the creative midfielder.

And it appears the respect was mutual with Ozil claiming Ronaldo’s constant drive to improve as a player is a constant form of motivation to him.

“His ambition, how hungry for success he is, as a player, you’re always quite similar,” he said.

“You want to be successful, you want to bring your best and what fascinated me about him was how professional he was. He’d be the first in the dressing room and the last to leave.

(Photo by Helios de la Rubia/Real Madrid via Getty Images)

“He’s a grounded guy who is very ambitious, who always gives his best for himself and for the team. What I admired about him was how hungry for success he is.

“He’s not somebody who when he achieves something, thinks ‘OK I can stop now, or I can go easy’.

“It’s the opposite. He always wants to be more successful – he wants to defend titles and I admired that.”