Just a week after being crowned Arsenal player of the season, German playmaker Mesut Özil has been hailed by goalkeeper Petr Cech in his recent interview with Arsenal.
"He is extraordinary," declared the Czech 'keeper when describing his team-mate. "He has been brilliant all season...he's raised the bar for next season," Cech told the club website. He is not wrong, Özil beat the likes of Hector Bellerin and Alexis Sanchez to the award, and very few can argue the outcome.
Up there with the greats
In all competitions, the German midfielder was behind 28 of the Gunners' goals; scoring eight and assisting 20. Only Thierry Henry has more assists in a season for Arsenal, as he claimed 20 in the Premier League alone back in 2004.
The only disappointing part of Özil's individual season was his inability to break Henry's Premier League assist record, he fell short of breaking the record by just two assists. However, Arsenal's number eleven did break a league record elsewhere, as he recorded a league high of 146 created chances. "Whatever he sees, he sees it much better than anyone else," Cech explained.
Records tumble
Özil also became the first player to top the assist charts of the Premier League, the Bundesliga, the European Championships, the Europa League, the Champions League and La Liga...a truly remarkable achievement by any standard. This season marked the most assists that he has personally recorded in a league campaign, his previous being 17 in the 2011/12 La Liga season at Real Madrid.
Özil has also improved his goal tally, scoring a total of eight this season; six in the league and two in the Champions League. Another subject that Petr Cech commended the attacking midfielder on: "In a game he is very important and very useful and he has improved in terms of goals scored."
Mesut Özil is currently in France with his German teammates as they prepare for the European Championships, can he continue his outstanding form with die Nationalmannschaft?