crinkly_ears | Mesut Özil: "You Couldn't Imagine Our Team Without Sami Khedira"

Mesut Özil: "You Couldn't Imagine Our Team Without Sami Khedira" - The Post-Match DFB Interview!

Özil: "Das ist der bisher größte Titel" ("It's the biggest title so far")
Translated by me, jenny_jenkins
LINK TO THE GERMAN
May 3, 2012

Three to zero, three points, one title. Real Madrid is the Spanish Champions, two game-days before the end of the season. In his second year with the Royal Whites Mesut Özil has won his second title. With a goal and an assist, the German national team player was once more decisive to the win.

The 23 year old speaks in an interview with DFB.de about his thoughts on the success, the celebration with his teammates and his happy anticipation over the EUROs in Poland and Ukraine.

DFB: Until Wednesday your collection of titles included the European Championship with the U21, the German league cup with Werder Bremen and the Spanish cup with Real Madrid. How would you place the Championship with Madrid among these?

Mesut Özil: It’s the biggest title so far for me, because the hard work of an entire season is rewarded. One is able to celebrate together, with the people that one spent an entire year with – and that makes this win so lovely.

DFB.de: You beat Barcelona in the Camp Nou and put yourself 7 points ahead of them. Has there been a changing of the guard?

Özil: We don’t think so. We have won the title and want to defend it. And then we want to defend it again. We are properly hungry and want to win lots of titles. It’s for others to decide if a change of the guard has taken place.

DFB.de: Is it especially nice, that you were so important to the win this evening, in a decisive game, with one assist and one goal?

Özil: On the particular evening it is nice. But only on the evening, because Real Madrid won the championship, not Mesut Özil. And for me it is far more important that I played in 33 out of 36 games in the Liga, and that’s a good quota.

DFB.de: What role does Sami Khedira play with Real Madrid? How big is his role in the Championship?

Özil: You couldn’t imagine our team without Sami Khedira. He is an unbelievably important player and he dedicates himself completely to the team. A huge part of this title belongs to him.

On the aeroplane after the game.

The feeling seems shared!

DFB.de: How have you developed yourself as a player and as a person during this past season at Real?

Özil: I think, that in my time at Real I have changed. I’ve developed at one of the best clubs in the world. I came as a young player to Real Madrid and not many thought I would manage to do well there. For precisely that reason I am so happy and so proud that I have been shown the trust of my club, my coaches and my fellow players and that with this title I can give something back.

DFB.de: We still have the pictures of the celebrations of the win of the Copa del Rey last year. How wild, how emotional was the party after winning the championship last night?

Özil: Why do you say “was”? The party is still going on (laughs). No – I’ll never forget any of it for the rest of my life. I’m properly grateful that I was allowed to experience it. To celebrate with the fans in the city this evening will probably be a further highlight.

DFB.de: Could this success have an effect on the European Championships? Are you heading off to the tournament in Poland and Ukraine with your head held high? And how much are you looking forward to it?

Özil: My anticipation is huge. I could get used to winning titles and celebrating! Seriously: we can’t promise we’ll win the title. But we’ll do everything we can to do it. And I’m very happy – after so long a time – to meet up again with my fellow players, the coaches and the coaching staff.