Mesut Ozil once opened up on a thunderous encounter with Mourinho that almost had the pair coming to blows and the iconic manager subjecting him to a withering put-down
Former Arsenal star Mesut Ozil once revealed that Jose Mourinho launched into a furious tirade against him while the duo were at Real Madrid.
In the German star’s 2017 book ‘Gunning For Greatness’, the former midfielder lifted the lid on the ferocious exchange with the former Chelsea boss. Ozil also disclosed that, following the heated half-time argument, Mourinho cruelly said to him: “you’re not Zidane” – a major blow for a young player who had grown up idolising the French legend.
Ozil spent three years at Los Blancos before he left for Arsenal in the summer of 2013. During his stay in Spain he won La Liga and the Copa del Rey under Mourinho and became a mainstay in Madrid’s first XI.
However, speaking on his tumultuous relationship with Mourinho, Ozil lifted the lid on the fiery encounter which began after the ex-Manchester United boss expressed his dismay with the player’s first-half performance during a league match with Deportivo La Coruña.
Ozil claims he instigated the back-and-forth by asking the two-time Champions League winning coach what he wanted from him. “I want you to play as well as you can,” Mourinho hit back at Ozil.
Mourinho then added: “I want you to go into tackles like a man. Do you know what it looks like when you tackle? No? Let me show you.” Ozil then described a surreal scene where Mourinho stood on his tiptoes, thrust his arms down by his sides, pursed his lips and walked around the dressing room in a mocking manner, where he more than inferred that the German midfielder was afraid to throw a tackle in.
Ozil wrote in his book: “He (Mourinho) gets more and more fixated. His heart rate is probably 180. Mine’s 200 for sure. Then I’ve really had enough. I can’t hold back any longer.
“My southern temperament is overwhelming me. “If you’re so great, why don’t you get out there and play yourself?” I scream now, ripping off my jersey and hurling it at his feet. “Here. Put it on. Off you go.”
He then claimed Mourinho laughed at him “spitefully” before branding him a “coward”. In an unusual method of inspiring motivation, Mourinho then said: “What do you want? To crawl under a nice, warm shower? Shampoo your hair? Be on your own? Or do you want to show your teammates, the fans out there, and me what you’re capable of?”
Ozil then elaborated that he was close to physically retaliating against the Portuguese coach: “I’m so p****d off. I’d love to chuck my boots at his head. I want him to stop. To leave me in peace finally.”
Mourinho them continued to mock the World Cup winner adding: “Cry if you like, Sob away, You’re such a baby. Go and take a shower. We don’t need you.”
The ex-Porto boss then delivered his final insult as he stated: “You’re not Zinedine Zidane, you know. No, Never, You’re not even in the same league.”
Ozil went on to admit that Mourinho’s words hurt him greatly as the ex-Spurs boss knew how much Ozil admired the Real Madrid icon, he says in the book: “Those last words of his are like a stab to the heart. Mourinho knows exactly what he’s saying. He knows how much I admire that player. He knows the Frenchman is the only footballer I truly look up to.”
Ozil was subbed at half-time and the ex-Werder Bremen star claimed Mourinho’s words resounded in his head for a long time afterwards. However, it appears the relationship between Mourinho and Ozil thawed as both player and coach continued their careers elsewhere with Mourinho actually penning the prologue for Ozil’s tell-all book.
Journalist Kai Psotta, who helped Ozil write the book, also told GOAL that Mourinho’s example of tough love actually aided the World Cup winner.
“He learnt under Mourinho to give everything for your team and work hard,” Psotta said. ” That half-time humiliation by Mourinho had a big influence in the development of Mesut Ozil and that’s the reason why he started his autobiography with this experience. It was a key moment.”
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