Mesut Özil (* 15. Oktober 1988 in Gelsenkirchen) ist ein deutscher Fußballspieler türkischer Abstammung. Zurzeit spielt er für den Bundesligisten Werder Bremen. ************************************************** Mesut Özil; born 15 October 1988 in Gelsenkirchen, is a German professional footballer of Turkish descent who plays for Werder Bremen and the German national football team. > Club career Özil began his youth career playing for different clubs in Gelsenkirchen and five years for Rot-Weiss Essen. In 2005, he moved to the youth department of FC Schalke 04. He is a midfielder and wears 11 as his squad number, after starting as playmaker and central attacking midfielder in the place of the suspended Lincoln in Ligapokal matches against Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich Schalke. On 31 January 2008, he moved to Werder Bremen for a reported fee of €4.3 million, signing a contract with the German club until 30 June 2011. > International career In September 2006, Özil was called up for the Germany U-17 team. Özil has been a member of the German U-21 team since 2007. On 29 June 2009, Özil was the catalyst in a 4–0 win over England during the U-21 European Championship final. > He made his debut for the Germany national football team during a friendly match against Norway on 11 February 2009. He scored his first goal for the senior team in his third appearance, another friendly, against South Africa on 5 September in Leverkusen. > World Cup He was selected for the Germany national squad for the 2010 World Cup, starting in the team's first three games. He scored a goal (a left-footed kick off a half volley) from the edge of the 18 yard box against Ghana in the final group game of the World Cup 2010, ensuring Germany's progress to the second round. *************************************************