Ozil: I wore ‘Okocha No.10’ as a child

ARSENAL midfielder Mesut Ozil has revealed that former Super Eagles captain Austin Jay Jay Okocha was his footballing hero as a child.

Okocha, who was at his peak in the 1990s and early 2000s, was one of the most skillful players of his generation and he inspired kids around the world with his entertaining football.

Ozil, who grew up to become a famous footballer too and has worn No.10 for Real Madrid, Arsenal and Germany, happened to be one of those kids who worshipped the globetrotting Okocha, who played in Germany, France, Turkey, England and Qatar.

Ozil, who is on the verge of leaving Arsenal after being frozen out of the first team this season, held a Twitter question and answer session on Monday night tagged #AskMesut.

When a fan asked Ozil what name and number he had on his football shirt as a kid, his answer was simple.

“No.10 and Jay Jay Okocha,” he replied.

It is easy to understand Ozil’s fascination with Okocha as a football-loving child.

The Nigerian played for Fenerbahce between 1996 and 1998, when Ozil was between eight and 10 years old.

The 32-year-old Ozil, who was born in Germany to Turkish parents, admitted on Monday night that he was a Fenerbahce fan and would love to play for the Istanbul giants.

“I grew up as a @Fenerbahce fan as a kid in Germany – every German-Turkish person supports a Turkish team when they grow up in Germany,” Ozil stated.

“And mine was Fenerbahce. Fenerbahce is like Real Madrid in Spain. The biggest club in the country.”

When he was asked where he would love to play next, Ozil replied: “There are two countries I want to play football in before I retire: Turkey and USA. If I went to Turkey, I could only go to Fenerbahce.”

Ozil has already been heavily linked with a move to Fenerbahce and there were even reports last week that he had reached an agreement with the club.