Mesut Ozil gave Jose Mourinho the stare after the Portuguese manager accused him of being a "coward" during a fiery encounter at Real Madrid.
Ozil has called time on his career aged 34, bringing to a close an 18-year stint as a professional which saw him play for Schalke, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Fenerbahce and Istanbul Basaksehir. The playmaker won the World Cup with Germany in 2014 during the peak of his career.
His performances for Germany in the 2010 World Cup saw him earn a transfer to Real Madrid, where he crossed paths with Mourinho. Although he managed 27 goals and 81 assists in 159 games for Real, Ozil’s languid playing style was not always to the taste of Mourinho.
The two clashed over their differences of opinion on occasion – and one story is retold by Ozil in his book ‘Gunning for Greatness’. It saw Mourinho berate the midfielder from the touchline during the first half, before continuing his barrage of insults in the dressing room at half-time.
Ozil says Mourinho told him: "’You think two beautiful passes are enough! You think you're so good that 50 per cent is enough’. He pauses. Stares at me with his dark brown eyes. I stare back. Like two boxers at the stare-down before the first round.
"He shows no emotion. Just waits for a response from me. How much I hate him right now. And I love Mourinho actually."
Ozil came in at half-time fuming with Mourinho and threw his shirt at him in the dressing room before storming into the showers. In the book, Ozil then recounts what Mourinho said: "Oh, are you giving up now? You're such a coward.
"What do you want? To creep under the beautiful, warm shower? Shampoo your hair? To be alone? Or do you want to prove to your fellow players, the fans out there, and me, what you can do."
The incident is recounted at the front of Ozil’s book and turned into a formative moment in his career. While he initially hated Mourinho for his unique style of man-management, he eventually began to understand why he treated players like that.
Journalist Kai Psotta, who helped Ozil write the book, told GOAL of Ozil’s thought process: “He realised that it was not the right reaction to run into the shower and let your team-mates down and additionally understood that it is not enough to only play good but you always have to give 100 per cent.
“He learnt under Mourinho to give everything for your team and work hard. Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo were role models. That half-time humiliation by Mourinho had a big influence in the development of Mesut Ozil and that’s the reason why he started his autobiography with this experience. It was a key moment.”
