Mesut Özil - Newsmaker 2009
The air is filled with dust. A group of teenage boys is kicking a ball around the uneven playing field. It’s a far cry from the silky soft green turfs in German’s professional soccer stadiums. But it’s here in Gelsenkirchen on the corner of Olgastraße that Germany’s latest soccer superstar learned his trade.
 Mesut Özil celebrates, Photo: (C) picture-alliance /DeFodi 21-year-old Mesut Özil grew up playing on this field called "monkey cage" (Affenkäfig) by the locals. All-round fencing keeps the ball in play here, meaning that Özil's reflexes and technique were honed from a young age.
"Somehow, I could always do everything I wanted with the ball. The other boys always said 'you'll be a footballer one day.'"
His friends were spot on. But even they could not have imagined how quickly their friend Mesut would rise to become one of Germany's top players.
A faltering career
Following his debut as a professional for his hometown club Schalke 04 at age 18, his career faltered in his second season. He was not given enough playing time and managed only 11 appearances in the league. With disagreements over the renewal of his contract, Özil was surprisingly sold to Werder Bremen.
It's a transfer that hurts Schalke 04 fans a little more each week.
Now, Özil seems to improve every match day. His superb technique is paired with an element of unpredictability rarely seen in the modern game. He dribbles past his markers with the carefree abandon of a footballer having a Sunday kickabout in the park. There's no denying he's fun to watch. He scores plenty of goals and sets up even more. This year he tops the Bundesliga's assist charts comfortably.
In a German media landscape obsessed with bemoaning the lack of "street footballers" – players with tricks, ideas and the ability to open up a defense – Özil's unique style of play has caused ripples of excitement. Germany's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper, Bild am Sonntag declared: "Mesut Özil is the playmaker Germany has been waiting so long for."
A hot topic
The son of Turkish parents, Özil's decision to play for the German national team was a hotly debated topic in the German and Turkish press. Fatih Terim, the Turkish coach at the time, enquired about his availability at the beginning of the 2008/09 season. Özil declined, stating that he wanted to play for Germany.
"It's not a decision against my Turkish roots. The third generation of my family now lives in Germany, I grew up here, have always felt comfortable and always got my opportunities in Germany's youth national teams," Özil explained.
Özil did not have to wait long before he was called up to the senior national team, making his debut as a substitute in a friendly against Norway on February 11, 2009.
Too good for his peers
The young playmaker was now on the brink of establishing himself as a senior international. But before making his full debut in an official qualification match, he traveled to Sweden to participate in the Under-21 European Champion.
Özil was exceptional – so superior to his peers that it almost seemed unfair that he should be allowed to participate. He was the outstanding player of the tournament, underlining his class with a man-of-the-match performance in the final against England that included two assists and one goal in a 4-0 victory.
On August 12, 2009, a little over a month after hoisting the U-21 European Championship trophy, Özil made his debut in an official World Cup qualification match against Azerbaijan, officially tying him to the German national side.
A signal for integration
German Minister Maria Böhmer, commissioner for migration, refugees and integration referred to Özil's nomination for the German national team as "an important signal for the integration of migrants in Germany."
Özil is an unlikely candidate to be an ambassador for German-Turkish integration. He is a man of few words and he shies away from the limelight, giving only brief interviews.
Yet his background, paired with his ability, has him thrust into the limelight. His potential to act as a catalyst for integration has even drawn comparisons to his role model, French playmaker Zinedine Zidane.
Özil, however, prefers to stick to football matters: "My technique and feeling for the ball is the Turkish side to my game," he said, "the discipline, attitude and always-give-your-all is the German part."
Germany and its largest immigrant community both hope that the combination will prove successful when Özil takes to the pitch for the national team at the World Cup this summer.
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