Mesut Özil

Mesut Özil ;
born 15 October 1988) is a German footballer who plays for English Premier League club Arsenal and the German national team. Özil has been a youth national team member since 2006, and a member of the German national team since 2009. He gained international attention during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was nominated for the Golden Ball Award, which is awarded to the tournament's best player. Özil started his senior career at hometown club Schalke in the Bundesliga in 2006, transferred to Werder Bremen in 2008 and transferred to Real Madrid in August 2010 following his breakout performance at the FIFA World Cup with Germany.
Özil is acclaimed for his finesse and improvisation as an attacking midfielder. His style and ability for providing assists for his team-mates has been compared by former manager José Mourinho to that of Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane. In 2011, Özil ranked first in assists in major European and domestic competitions with 25. In 2012, he ranked first in assists in La Liga with 17. He was also one of the top assist providers in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012 with 3 in both.

Club career

Schalke 04
In 2005, Özil moved to the youth department of FC Schalke 04. He was a midfielder and wore 17 as his squad number, after starting as a playmaker and central attacking midfielder in the place of the suspended Lincoln in Ligapokal matches against Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich. On making the first team there, he was described as "the next big thing," but he eventually fell out with club management and moved on to Werder Bremen in January 2008.

Werder Bremen
Özil with Werder Bremen in April 2010
On 31 January 2008, Özil moved to Werder Bremen for a reported fee of €4.3 million, signing a contract with the German club until 30 June 2011.Fresh off his fallout at Schalke 04, he stepped into the shoes of Brazilian playmaker Diego to help lead the north German club to the 2009 DFB-Pokal with the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in Berlin. He also excelled in Europe where he led Werder Bremen to the final of the last ever UEFA Cup, losing out to Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine.Although Bremen failed to get going in their 2008–09 Bundesliga season, eventually finishing a disappointing 10th, Özil managed to make a significant impact in most games and came away with a respectable three goals and 15 assists that highlighted his attacking credentials.In his second season, Bremen finished a respectable third, with Özil contributing 9 goals and 17 assists in 31 league fixture appearances.

Real Madrid
2010–11 season
Özil playing for Real Madrid in 2010
Due to his performances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Özil ensured his place among Europe's top young talents. He was sought by teams like Barcelona, Arsenal, and Manchester United and reports even claimed that a deal was struck for a transfer to Barça. Werder Bremen denied the report and on 17 August 2010, the team announced that they had reached an agreement with Real Madrid. The transfer fee is believed to have been in the region of €15 million.Upon signing, Özil said, "When the offer came in to join Real Madrid, there is no decision to make. Let's be honest – you don't refuse this club. I was in no rush to leave Werder Bremen, but this is one club you say yes to. They are an institution, a club with a fantastic history, stadium and squad full of world-class players. The prospect of performing at the Bernabeu is so awesome you jump straight in."Özil made his debut on 22 August in a friendly match against Hércules, which Real Madrid won 3–1. His jersey numbers were changed often before the season started. He was given the number 26 in the pre-season and 19 for his debut. But following the transfer of Rafael van der Vaart to Tottenham Hotspur, he was given the vacant 23.
Özil was brought in to back up teammate Kaká, but due to his surgery, Özil obtained a starting role. He then made his La Liga debut for Real Madrid as a substitute for Ángel di María in the 62nd minute against Mallorca, which Real Madrid drew 0–0.
Özil taking on Daniele Bonera of Milan during the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League.
He made his season debut in the Champions League on 15 September. He got his first assist with Real Madrid in the 74th minute against Ajax after he crossed for a Gonzalo Higuaín goal.
He walked off the pitch as a second half substitute to standing ovations in his first two games as a starter at the Santiago Bernabéu. His first goal came in a league match against Deportivo La Coruña on 3 October 2010, in a 6–1 victory. Özil's first Champions League goal with Real came in the 14th minute against Milan on 19 October 2010. On 22 December, he made his debut in the Copa del Rey, scoring once in a 8–0 victory over Levante.
He finished the season with 25 assists, the highest for any player in any major European competition that season. Özil's performances for Real Madrid during his first season were praised by media, fans and players.

2011–12 season
Özil began wearing the number 10 shirt for Real Madrid in 2011–12, signalling manager José Mourinho's intent to use the German international as his main playmaker.On 14 August 2011, Özil scored his first goal against Barcelona in El Clásico in the first leg of the 2011 Supercopa de España. On 17 August 2011, Özil was sent off in the last minute of the second leg of the 2011 Supercopa after an altercation with Barça forward David Villa. Özil expressed his desire to end his football days at the club in an interview with German magazine kicker, saying, "I'd like to end my career at Real Madrid. I know it will be difficult because I have many more years ahead of me and many younger and good players will also be out there, but I want to be part of that future. I know what I'm capable of and I'm convinced I'll stay at Real Madrid many years."
Özil was on the short-list of 2011–12-year's FIFA Ballon d'Or award.


Özil's boots on display at the Santiago Bernabeu museum
He finished atop the La Liga assists chart,with 17 assists. On 2 May 2012, he helped Real Madrid to clinch its 32nd La Liga title as he assisted Real Madrid's first goal and scored the second goal against Bilbao, which Real Madrid later won by 3–0. Eleven days later, Özil scored two goals in the final game of the regular season against RCD Mallorca, once again consolidating his excellent performance with the club. The win made Real the first club in the Spanish top flight to ever reach 100 points in a season.His fine form with Real Madrid and German national team saw him earn nomination for UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, in which he finished 10th, being youngest in Top 10.

2012–13 season
With arrival of Luka Modrić before the start of the season, some in the media claimed Özil was unhappy at Real Madrid, but he later rejected such talk and claimed he was happy at the club and looking forward to compete for his place. After the start of the season, he added the Spanish Super Cup title to his honours. In league play, he provided an important assist to Cristiano Ronaldo who equalized in a 2–2 draw against Barcelona at Camp Nou. On 6 November, Özil scored a crucial 89th-minute free-kick to rescue a draw for Real Madrid and secure a point against Borussia Dortmund.He continued his fine form in the league as he scored another brace against Real Valladolid to rescue Real Madrid in a 3–2 win.He then went on to finish the season with 29 assists, although Real Madrid did not win any silverware except for the Spanish Super Cup, Özil's performance was praised. At the end of the season Ozil had more assists then any other player in the league, with 26 assists.

Arsenal
2013–14 season
Özil taking a free-kick for Arsenal.
On 2 September 2013, Özil agreed to join English side Arsenal. Both fee and contract duration were undisclosed, but they are believed to be around £42.5 million for a five-year deal. The transfer makes him the most expensive German football player of all time. Özil was assigned the number 11 shirt.
Özil said of transfer: “At the weekend, I was certain I would stay at Real Madrid but afterwards I realised I did not have the faith from the coach or the bosses. I am a player who needs this faith and that is what I have felt from Arsenal, which is why I have joined. Several Real Madrid players were dissatisfied with Özil leaving the club, namely Ronaldo who said: "He was the player who best knew my moves in front of goal...I'm angry about Özil leaving."
Özil made his debut for Arsenal in their league game away to Sunderland on 14 September 2013. He assisted Olivier Giroud's goal in the 11th minute of the match. They went on to win the match 1–3. Three days after that, he made his Champions League debut for Arsenal against Marseille. Özil made his home debut against Stoke City in a 3-1 victory. He was involved in all 3 goals, with 2 assists and a free kick on which Aaron Ramsey scored on the rebound.

Perjalanan Karier Beckham

David Beckham telah menyatakan pensiun setelah hampir 20 tahun berkarier dalam sepak bola. Dalam periode tersebut, Beckham sukses menikmati gelar-gelar bergengsi bersama Manchester United, Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy, dan Paris Saint-Germain.

Berikut momen penting Beckham dalam kariernya sebagaimana dilansir dari Sporting Life.

1975: Beckham lahir di Leytonstone pada tanggal 2 Mei.

1991: Beckham bergabung dengan tim muda Manchester United.

1992: Beckham menandai debutnya saat melawan Brighton di Piala Liga pada 23 September dan berhasil menjuarai Piala FA pada usia muda.

1993: Beckham menandatangani kontrak profesional di Old Trafford.

1995: Beckham bergabung dengan Preston sebagai pemain pinjaman pada Februari dan mencetak dua gol dari lima laga.

1996: Beckham membantu United menjuarai Premier League dan Piala FA. Pada tahun ini, Beckham menciptakan gol dari setengah lapangan saat bermain imbang 3-3 dengan Wimbledon. Dia juga menandai debutnya bersama timnas Inggris saat mengalahkan Moldova dengan skor 3-0.

1997: Beckham terpilih menjadi pemain muda terbaik versi Pesepak Bola Profesional Inggris (PFA).

1998: Mencetak gol pertama untuk Inggris dari sebuah tendangan bebas melawan Kolombia di Lens pada 26 Juni. Dia juga mendapatkan kartu merah saat melawan Argentina di Piala Dunia 1998.

1999: Beckham membawa United meraih gelar treble winner (Premier League, Piala FA, dan Liga Champions).

2000: Pada Mei, Bekcham berhasil meraih gelar Premier League untuk keempat kali bersama United setelah tim tersebut unggul 18 poin dari pesaing terdekatnya.

Pada November, Beckham untuk pertama kali ditunjuk sebagai kapten timnas Inggris dalam laga persahabatan melawan Italia di Turin. Saat itu, Three Lions dilatih oleh Peter Taylor.

2001: Pada Mei, Beckham kembali berhasil mengantarkan MU meraih gelar Premier League untuk ketiga kali berturut-turut.

2002: 7 Juni - Beckham mencetak gol dari titik putih saat melawan Argentina pada babak penyisihan grup Piala Dunia. Berkat gol tersebut, Inggris berhasil mengalahkan Argentina dengan skor 1-0.

2003: Februari - Beckham terlibat insiden dengan pelatih Sir Alex Ferguson seusai MU dikalahkan Arsenal di Piala FA. Saat itu, Fergie marah dan menendang sepatu yang mengenai pelipis Beckham.

14 Juni: Beckham mendapatkan penghargaan atas jasanya di sepak bola pada saat perayaan ulang tahun Ratu Inggris.

17 Juni: United mengumumkan bahwa mereka menerima tawaran Madrid sebesar 25 juta pondsterling untuk Beckham.

2004: 24 Juni - Beckham gagal melakukan tendangan penalti saat Inggris adu penalti dengan Portugal di perempat final Piala Eropa 2004. Saat itu, Inggris akhirnya kalah.

2005: November - Beckham menjadi kapten dalam pertandingan ke-50 bersama Inggris saat Tiga Singa melakoni laga persahabatan melawan Argentina di Geneva.

2006: 2 Juli - Beckham meletakkan jabatannya sebagai kapten seusai Inggris tersingkir dari Piala Dunia 2006. Saat itu, Inggris disingkirkan oleh Portugal di babak perempat final.

11 Agustus: Beckham tak dipanggil saat Inggris melakoni laga persahabatan melawan Yunani.

2007: 11 Januari - Beckham mengumumkan dirinya akan pensiun dan bergabung dengan LA Galaxy pada Agustus.

13 Januari: Pelatih Real Madrid, Fabio Capello, menyatakan Beckham takkan bermain lagi dengan Madrid.

26 Mei: Pelatih Inggris, Steve McClaren, membuat kejutan dengan memanggil Beckham untuk laga melawan Brasil dan Estonia.

Juni - Beckham kembali bermain dengan Madrid dan El Real berhasil menjurai La Liga.

16 Agustus:  Beckham mencetak gol pertamanya untuk Galaxy dalam debutnya di semifinal SuperLiga melawan DC United.

2008: 26 Maret: Beckham mencatat 100 cap saat melakoni laga persahabatan melawan Perancis.

30 Oktober: AC Milan mengumumkan bahwa Beckham akan bergabung dengan mereka pada 7 Januari 2009.

2009: 9 Maret - AC Milan mengumumkan kesepakatan yang unik dengan Beckham. Pemain asal Inggris tersebut akan bertahan di Italia hingga akhir musim, kemudian kembali ke Galaxy pada bulan Juli sampai Oktober. Setelah itu, Beckham kembali membela Milan sampai akhir musim 2009-2010.

2010: 14 Maret: Beckham mengalami cedera achilles saat Milan mengalahkan Chievo dengan skor 1-0. Akibat cedera tersebut, Beckham gagal tampil di Piala Dunia.

Juni: Meski cedera, Beckham tetap diboyong ke Piala Dunia 2010 sebagai staf pelatih.

11 Agustus: Karier Beckham bersama Inggris sepertinya akan berakhir saat Capello dalam wawancaranya dengan ITV mengatakan, "Mungkin dia sedikit tua."

2011: 20 November - Beckham berhasil membawa Galaxy juara Piala MLS setelah mengalahkan Houston Dynama 1-0 di final.

31 Desember: Kontrak Beckham bersama Galaxy habis.

2012: 20 November: Beckham mengonfirmasi meninggalkan Galaxy setelah Piala MLS pada 1 Desember.

31 Desember: Beckham mengakhiri kariernya di MLS dengan dua kali juara Piala MLS setelah mengalahkan Houston Dynamo 301.

2013: 31 Januari - Beckham menandatangani kontrak selama lima bulan bersama PSG dan dia menyatakan gajinya akan didonasikan untuk anak-anak Perancis.

24 Februari: Beckham membuat debutnya bersama PSG saat tampil sebagai pemain pengganti melawan Marseille.

2 April: Beckham tampil di Liga Champions saat melakoni leg pertama perempat final melawan Barcelona.

12 Mei: PSG memastikan menjuarai Ligue 1 setelah mengalahkan Lyon 1-0. Beckham menjadi pemain Inggris pertama yang bisa memenangkan gelar di empat negara berbeda.

16 Mei: Beckham memutuskan pensiun.
 

Beckham Pensiun

 David Beckham memutuskan untuk pensiun, Kamis (16/5/2013). Gelandang berusia 38 tahun ini menutup kariernya dengan manis karena dia baru saja mempersembahkan gelar juara Ligue 1 bagi Paris Saint-Germain, yang mengajukan tawaran perpanjangan kontrak satu musim lagi.

"Saya berterima kasih kepada PSG atas kesempatan yang diberikan lagi untuk melanjutkan karierku, tetapi saya merasa sekarang saat yang tepat untuk mengakhirinya, bermain di level tertinggi," ujar Beckham.

Sebelum bergabung dengan PSG pada awal musim ini, Beckham sudah melanglang buana bersama klub-klub elite Eropa. Besar di Manchester United, winger kanan ini juga memperkuat klub raksasa Spanyol, Real Madrid, kemudian pindah ke AC Milan dan melanjutkan kariernya di MLS bersama Los Angeles Galaxy, sebelum pindah ke PSG.

Di level internasional, Beckham juga pernah menjadi pilihan utama The Three Lions. Total, dia bermain sebanyak 115 kali di timnas meskipun tak pernah merasakan gelar paling bergengsi, baik di Piala Eropa maupun di Piala Dunia.

Baru-baru ini, Beckham mengambil sejumlah peran penting di luar lapangan, salah satunya menjadi duta sepak bola China.

Mata Chelsea Player of Season

 Midfielder Juan Mata Chelsea was selected as the best player of the 2012-13 season. The Spaniard was selected as the best player by the main squad players and team officials as it is considered instrumental to the success of the Blues this season. Holds best player this is the second time for Mata. Previously, the former Valencia player was also successfully won the title after successfully presented the Champions League trophy for Chelsea last season. Mata managed to be the best among the three other nominees, namely Frank Lampard, David Luiz, and Eden Hazard. Thanks to nick it, Mata became the fourth player who successfully won the title twice in a row after John Hollins, Ray Wilkins, and Lampard. "I want to thank all my team colleagues. I feel very proud to play a team like Chelsea with all outstanding players, so thanks to them, "said Mata as dilasir club's official website . "We have a top 24 or 25 players and one of them could be the winner of this award," he added. Related to achieve success Chelsea Europa League trophy this season, Mata said, "In every final, as in the Champions League last season, we felt that everyone at Chelsea with us. We do it for them, scoring a goal in the final minute with the best time and we are very happy because they always with us throughout the season. " Eyes anchored to Stamford Bridge from Valencia in 2011. Throughout this season, the 25-year-old player was succeeded in packing 25 goals and doing 28 assists in all competitions. "He is a phenomenal player. Not only for scoring affair, assists is also very good. was fantastic because he has given a lot to the team this, "said the Chelsea defender John Terry, who handed the trophy as the best player bestowal night. Besides Mata, Chelsea was also nominated for best young players dropped to 19-year-old defender Nathan Ake. Then, Oscar award after his goal against Juventus goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, the continued provision Champions League Group E, 19 September 2012, was chosen as the best goal. Meanwhile, Lampard also won the award after a record scorer after leading Chelsea to win 2 -1 over Aston Villa on Saturday (11/05/2013). A pair of goals in the match making Lampard collected a total of 203 goals for Chelsea once beat Bobby Tambling record 202 goals. "I can not explain it. I thought it would be good when I did it (beat the record Tambling), but I did not realize that it would be very good. those fans at Aston Villa and my comrades were celebrating at the end of the game, it has become a very emotional game for me. So thanks to all the players, "said Lampard.