Mesut Ozil Outrunning Depay, Ramires, Fernandinho and Other Stars This Season

Who said Mesut Ozil doesn’t work hard?

The Arsenal playmaker – who is also celebrating his 27th birthday today – has had to defend himself against accusations of being lazy in the past.

And with his languid, relaxed style on the pitch, some take that as a sign that he has a low work-rate.

But statistics from the EA Sports Player Performance Index indicate differently – with Ozil outrunning a high number of his peers in the English Premier League.

On average, the German runs 10.24kilometres per game and has covered 69.6km in total across seven appearances in the league this term.

High work rate is associated with a number of Premier League stars such as Chelsea duo Ramires and Willian, Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho and Manchester United winger Memphis Depay.

But Ozil beats them all so far this season:

Ozil has scored once and made four goals in 10 appearances so far this season and looks to be finding his best form since signing from Real Madrid in 2013.

Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the Official Player Rating Index of the Barclays Premier League.