MX23RW : Friday, October 26 22:12:17

The highs and lows of Mesut Ozil's enigmatic career

The German was at his best against the Foxes.

Mesut Ozil produced a man-of-the-match performance after being named Arsenal captain for Monday's 3-1 Premier League win over Leicester.

The enigmatic German scored one goal and made two others for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the Gunners recorded a 10th successive victory in all competitions.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at some of the highs and lows of Ozil's career.

HIGHS

Leading by example

The 30-year-old is often criticised for going missing in games but he was at his best on Monday evening to tear apart the Foxes. Captaining the north London club for the first time, Ozil was at the heart of his side's best attacking play, including a superb assist for the third goal.

World Cup winner

Ozil
Ozil, right, won the World Cup with Germany in 2014 (Mike Egerton/PA)

At the end of his first season with Arsenal, Ozil won football's ultimate prize as Germany became the first European team to win a World Cup on South American soil. He started all seven of his country's matches in Brazil, scoring the extra-time winner in the second-round success against Algeria.

Always assisting

Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil was Arsenal's standout performer in the 2015-16 campaign (Scott Heavey/PA)

Ozil, who has won three FA Cups since moving to England from Real Madrid for £42.5million in 2013, picked up Arsenal's player of year award for his fantastic form in the 2015-16 season. He laid on 19 Premier League goals for his team-mates that campaign – the most of any player in the division – including assists in seven successive matches.

LOWS

International issues

On the back of Germany's limp World Cup defence during the summer, Ozil was heavily criticised for his performances before announcing his international retirement. He cited mistreatment from the German Football Association and a lack of protection from racist abuse. Ozil, who is of Turkish descent, was also widely criticised in Germany for being photographed with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Criticism from club greats

Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit was among a number of former Arsenal players to criticise Ozil last season (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Ozil took to Facebook to defend himself in September last year following negative comments from a number of former Gunners players. With his contract and long-term future still in doubt, he was accused of having a "defeatist attitude" and "going through the motions" by Emmanuel Petit and Martin Keown, while Paul Merson claimed the forward "doesn't show up half the time".

Confidence crisis

Mesut Ozil
Ozil missed an important penalty against Bayern Munich in 2014 (John Walton/PA)

Ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger suggested Ozil was drained of confidence after "shaking his head for five or 10 minutes" following a crucial penalty miss in a Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich in February 2014. The player apologised to fans but was subsequently dropped for the next two matches and did not start a Premier League game for more than two months, partly due to injury.

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Unai Emery gestures with two fingers during the Europa League group game between Arsenal and Vorskla Poltava on September 20, 2018
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City97202632323
2Liverpool97201631323
3Chelsea96302071321
4Arsenal970222111121
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs9702167921
6Bournemouth95221612417
7Watford95131312116
8Everton94321512315
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves943298115
10Manchester UnitedMan Utd94231516-114
11Leicester CityLeicester94051515012
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton93241013-311
13Burnley92251017-78
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham9216814-67
15Crystal Palace9216511-67
16Southampton9135614-86
17Cardiff CityCardiff9126819-115
18Fulham91261125-145
19Huddersfield TownHuddersfield9036418-143
20Newcastle UnitedNewcastle9027614-82

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