crinkly_ears | A Bromantic Print Interview, Two Videos, Gifs, & Training News (Reply)

A Bromantic Print Interview, Two Videos, Gifs, & Training News

This interview, which was one of two sent to me yesterday by reader Jose and which I have translated from n-tv.de/sport, has been heavily abridged by me as I was translating it so that the interesting things about Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema, Jose Mourinho, Joachim Loew, Philipp Lahm, Sami Khedira and Cristiano Ronaldo remain. The rest was the usual repetitive fluff or were things that have come up in interviews over the past week.

Mesut Ozil on the National Team and Real Madrid
LINK TO THE ORIGINAL
June 16, 2012
Translated by

jenny_jenkins

Cristiano Ronaldo has said repeatedly that you are extremely funny. But for the public you seem thoughtful and introverted. How does this discrepancy result?

In the team I like to tell jokes or irritate my colleagues. I've already told my Spanish and Portuguese colleagues at Real Madrid that we'll thrash them at the Euros...

Your club coach Jose Mourinho has singled you out as the best number 10 in the world.

Naturally I'm happy about that. He is my club coach and he knows what I can do. When he says something like that it flatters me.

One doesn't contradict a Mourinho?

(Ozil laughs) Better not!

What makes Mourinho different from National coach Joachim Loew?

I don't want to compare the two. They are both outstanding coaches, who count among the best in the world. I am very happy to be able to develop under their guidance.

You have just mentioned Sergio Ramos, who is a good friend of your. Do you write text-messages to him during the tournament?

Not only with him, but also with Karim Benzema or with Cristiano Ronaldo. I wrote to Sergio Ramos after the game against Ireland and said "Congratulations, great game!"

And did you also write: "We'll see each other in the final?"

(Laughs) No - I'd rather not write that yet.

Sami Khedira is not only your teammate on the national team but also at Real Madrid. What do you value in him?

He has developed himself very well and is a very important player for the national team. For me he belongs among the best number sixes in the world. It's a lot of fun for me to play with him because he's become a good friend of mine in the meantime. We do lots of things together privately too. He's become stronger and more consistent in Madrid.

Would it make you happy if Philipp Lahm were to come along too? Mourinho is supposed to have signalled his considerable interest in the Bayern captain.

(Laughs and hesitates over the answer) Philipp has shown over many years that he's a world-class player. He'd be valuable to a lot of clubs, and also for us, of course. We'll have to see what the future brings.

Do you talk to him about it?

No - absolutely not. We are concentrating entirely on the tournament.

Are there teams who have impressed you at the tournament?

The Russians. I think they are very good. Above all in the first game against the Czechs, you could see how well they counter-attacked and how many chances they were able to create.

A famous professor of literature has written a eulogy to your elegant game for the Magazine 11Freunde. Your father was thrilled by it. You too?

I've heard about it, of course, but unfortunately have not seen the text yet, because we are travelling. Of course I'm proud of it, just as my father is.

Is it true that your father missed the first Euro game because he forgot his passport?*

Yes, exactly. But a number of relatives and a few friends were here, though they've already left because they have to return to work.

Lionel Messi has said that he became a better player through the play-station. Do you agree with that?

I think he's not wrong. You have to think, hold back, consider what the opponent will do...

END

The second interview (also sent by reader Jose) is exactly the same - the same questions, the same answers - but with different words. For those of you with time to waste and some German skills, head over to the SPOX WEBSITE to read the second interview and consider how the interviewers (who are plainly using short-hand) change or massage what it is Mesut has to say. The meaning in both interviews is the same, the questions are the same (and in the same order) but reading both versions gave a better idea of how he said it. Spox, incidentally, condensed his answer slightly.

Two Videos

If you want to watch Mesut saying essentially the same things as he did above - here's a lovely video uploaded by

andriy_7 and a couple of gifs by Madridista Forever

Mesut confirms (after 0:50) that he has "super contact" with Ronaldo and that he received a text-message from him after the game wishing him all the best - and that he returned the message.

Mesut's DFB Video Feature

This came out last week, and we had beautiful gifs by

andriy_7 already posted in the community, but the video was lacking. Prepare to melt at the ado.orableness.

The City is unbelievable. You can see it's 30 degrees. You can enjoy the sun here and I'm just happy to be allowed to play with Madrid and to live here.

Mesut meets up with Sami. They strolls along like a pair of naughty children. "Hola!"

I didn't expect my career to go so fast. Of course I knew what my strengths were, and believed in them. And the most important thing is that I believed in myself and always made an effort. Now I'm with the biggest club in the world, I'm a starting player in the meantime and have the confidence of the coach and it's just fun to be allowed to play in such a big club.

The fans are a little bit football crazy here, because the people who live here - for them there's only Real Madrid. And it doesn't matter where we go - not just me, but also the others - if we go to restaurants or shopping in town or go for a walk then they want to take photographs, or have their shirts signed. It comes along with all of this and I do it gladly and enjoy it too.

Mesut walks, surrounded by children wanting his photograph, lips pressed together in concentration, looking faintly un-Mesuty about the situation

I've been in the profession a long time. I was the cup champion twice. Now I've finally got the championship and I'm very happy about it. We really enjoyed celebrating with the fans...

Mesut tells the person teaching him to golf: "I'm left-handed!"

I became better known, mainly in Germany, through the national team. But I'm still the old Mesut who still has fun with his football. That's how I am.

Training News

Mesut did not train yesterday. Hansi Flick told the press he was fit, but would be rested because of the huge efforts he had put in over the past two games.

In the meantime: a bizarrely bromantic gif has surfaced - in two senses! I think we can all agree Mesut has cut the front of his hair.