There are so many clichés in football and the use of ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ is an overused simile but only because of its appropriate descriptive accuracy. Mesut Ozil, the now-retired former Arsenal number ten, is appreciated by many for all the good things he did, seen indifferently by others for the bad moments and even disliked by the rest for what was an ugly end to his time in north London.
However, despite the temptation to fall into a structured description of what those good, bad and ugly moments were, in a season where Arsenal might win the league it is perhaps much better to appreciate how Mesut Ozil’s presence from 2013 through to 2021 was a necessary and even integral part to getting the Gunners to where they might place come May. Mikel Arteta, although ending up the man who brought the curtain down on the German’s career with Arsenal, has certainly some reason to be thankful for having the chance to work again with his old teammate.
It was Arsene Wenger who brought Arteta and Ozil together when he signed the German from Real Madrid in 2013. After nine long years, the wait for a trophy came to an end by winning the FA Cup that very same season.
