In the summer of 2013, at the 11th hour as the transfer market was closing on September 2, Mesut Özil was sold by Real Madrid to Arsenal for 45 million euros. It was a move that caught everyone involved by surprise, not just Real Madrid fans but also the dressing room, where none of the squad were aware of any negotiations concerning the German midfielder, much less so Cristiano Ronaldo, whose reaction to the news has been revealed by Özil.

Speaking to reporters in the UK, Özil said that the Portugal captain was far from amused that his associate in attack had been sold at the last minute with no possibility of bringing in a replacement, although Isco and Gareth Bale had joined the club earlier in the window. “The sale of Özil is bad news for me,” Ronaldo said according to the Arsenal midfielder. “He was the player who best understood my movements in front of goal. I’m very angry that Özil is being sold.”

Özil: Real Madrid "lack of faith" led to Arsenal move

Full screen Mesut Özil in action for Arsenal against Wolves. Shaun Botterill (Getty Images)

In his final season at the Bernabéu, Özil was the highest assist-maker in LaLiga and Ronaldo was the main beneficiary. However, the arrivals of Isco and Bale gave Özil pause to consider his own situation at Real Madrid. “During the weekend I would be staying at Real Madrid but later I realized that the manager [Carlo Ancelotti] and the board did have faith in me,” Özil said five years after leaving the Spanish capital

Having decided to listen to offers, Özil fielded a phone call from Arséne Wenger, who assured him he would be a key player at Arsenal. That was enough for the midfielder to make his decision: “I’m a player who needs that trust in me and that’s what I felt from Arsenal, that’s the reason I decided to join the club.”

Özil Arsenal

Midfielder

Germany