Özil: Criticism makes me laugh
Mesut Özil says he doesn't let his critics influence him.
| Photo: Granada, CC-by-SA 4.0 |
Over the years, Özil, who quit the German national team in the summer, has been criticized for being languid and not willing to put in a fight, but the 30-year-old says he laughs it all off.
"I just laugh. I'm not the youngest anymore, but I started playing professionally at the age of 16 or 17, and it has always been up and down with me - people either like me or they don't. I don't listen to these people - I just listen to my coach and my people who say things straight to my face. So of course, if I play bad, I know that - just as I know when I play well," Özil told Sky Sports and continued:
"The most important thing is that the coach can help me - if I make mistakes he can tell me, we can speak, and I can improve for the future. But if people just say bad things about me because they want to be in the newspaper, I know that, and I don't care about them."
Özil made his debut for Schalke 04 in 2006. He later moved on to Werder Bremen and Real Madrid before joining Arsenal in 2013.
