Anyone who praises Mesut is a friend of mine. But ...

"There’s a third reason, beyond brilliance and birthright, for my fascination with Özil. He is probably only on the team because “The Big Man” of the German squad, Michael Ballack, was injured a few weeks before the tournament."

Yeah ... wrong. Mesut's place in the starting line up for the WC was long assured prior to the injury. It was Sami who was Ballack's last-minute replacement (and hasn't he filled the role well? ^_^)