Mesut Ozil

“I'm so proud to play for a big club like Arsenal.”

“I am happy to be playing in the Premier League because everyone knows it is the strongest league in the world. There are simply a lot of top teams.”

“Living in London is awesome.”

“Of course the Premier League is the most difficult league in the world because it's so even. I think you can't really compare other leagues with the Premier League. In the Premier League, every team can beat every team, and in football, that's something where you can have surprises.”

“Of course, the best thing, if you play in the Premier League, you can always develop further as a player, and you are playing against the best players. You are also playing game after game all the time, two or three games a week.”

“I pray almost every day, and you can see that I pray on the pitch. I pray in the dressing room. That is just part of my life.”

“I had a great manager in Jose Mourinho, who really helped me. He was always there when I needed him.”

“I love playing football. So I go out to play football, and I don't really feel pressure. Of course, there are some days when things just don't work out as well as they do on other days, but that doesn't have anything to do with pressure.”

“I'm one of the best players in the world in that No.10 position. Fans, coaches, players, and everyone knows that my best position is playmaker.”

“What the manager says is what's important to me. What experts say doesn't interest me and never will. I know what I can do. I've not been playing at the top level for nothing. I've been successful.”

“I had long conversations with Wenger before I joined Real, and that's how I got to know about Arsenal and the way that they like to sign talented players who can move the ball well.”

“I simply love to live here. London is a world city. There is so much you can do. There are many different cultures here, and I just feel very, very comfortable.”

“I was never a guy who liked to be in the centre of attention.”

“People wrote so negatively about me, but generally, the people who are familiar with football know my strengths and abilities.”

“I have played for Real Madrid, which is such a big club and where the pressure is so huge because you have to go and, really, win absolutely every game. There is no game where people don't expect you to win. So, having played there for three years, pressure is nothing that would scare me.”

“I'm a person who prefers to play games rather than train.”

“My aim is helping kids. Kids are the future. I love children. I'm thinking of my own childhood. I know where I'm from. If I wanted something, I couldn't get it. Life wasn't easy.”

“For us, it wasn't important to have a big house, a few cars, always have the newest clothes. Solidarity as a family was important. We were there for each other and always will be.”

“I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don't. I feel unwanted and think that what I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten.”

“I am very, very proud I am also Turkish and both of my parents are from Turkey. I was born in Germany and grew up there. By playing football, I learned my different cultures, and that is an advantage if you grow up as a person. You get a different view on certain things. I am very, very thankful I was able to pick the best from many cultures.”