Mesut Ozil was born into the wrong generation of footballers. It’s plain to see when he comes across the media. He lives and works in an era which demands his every move be observed, and yet Ozil prefers to slink off into the shadows. Time and again, he darts past reporters, casting only a grateful glance at whichever team-mate is diverting the hounds away.

His behaviour is no different on the football pitch. Players like Ozil should, we believe, sparkle at every moment. They should make us gasp. We should marvel at their sub-human capacities to move a football. They should, as Nike tells us without a trace of self-awareness, risk everything.

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Ozil, petulant as he is, bluntly refuses to meet those requirements. He makes no mazy runs. He attempts no 40 yard bicycle kicks. Instead, he moves imperceptibly around the football pitch, often barely touching the ball, slinking into the shadows.

Video: Germans celebrate Brazil win

It drives the football world crazy. Arsenal fans are at a loss to why they spent such astronomical sums on such a player. Paul Breitner believes that Ozil should be dropped from Germany’s starting line-up. The nation’s skiing sensation Felix Neureuther insists that Ozil “drives me crazy with his lack of bite”.

Shape Created with Sketch. The Worst Tattoos in football Show all 14 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. The Worst Tattoos in football 1/14 Daniele de Rossi Midfield dynamo Daniele De Rossi kindly alerted opposition players of his sharp-tackling reputation by brandishing a bright yellow warning tattoo that looks more like a slipping hazard sign than anything else (perhaps Arjen Robben should book himself in with the same artist). Sadly, however, the ink is on his calf and gets hidden by his socks during games. As a result, the joke is somewhat wasted. Getty Images 2/14 Mauricio Pinilla Why would the Chile striker want to re-live this moment, every single day for the rest of his life? In the 119th minute of the World Cup last-16, Pinilla smashed ha shot against the crossbar against hosts Brazil. Had it gone in, Chile would have made the quarter-final against Colombia. The inscriptions reads: 'One centimetre from glory'. 3/14 Wayne Rooney England striker Wayne Rooney has the title of the Stereophonics third studio album etched on his arm, although the tattoo has also been interpreted as a humorous personal reflection of his own academic failure. Rooney famously didn’t achieve any GCSE’s, but given his £300,000 a week contract he probably doesn’t care too much. Getty Images 4/14 Mario Balotelli The Italian troublemaker had a quote from the Mongolian war-machine Genghis Khan written on his chest to celebrate his first goal of the 2012/13 season for Manchester City. It says “If you had not committed great sins/ God would not have sent/ A punishment like me upon you”. While the behaviour of the Italian could indeed be seen as a “punishment” to those around him, comparing himself to one of the greatest war leaders in history seems excessive… yet completely in-character. Getty Images 5/14 James Rodriguez Arguably the player of the tournament so far, James Rodriguez’s sweet left foot has no doubt been inspired by the strange image of Jesus on his lower leg. With five goals and two assists already, the Colombian winger will be praying that his religious icon can smite Brazil in the quarter-finals and propel Columbia to the title. Getty Images 6/14 Arturo Vidal The midfield ace, strongly linked to Manchester United this summer after his impressive performances at the World Cup, has a selection of body art that is equally as eye catching and somewhat perplexing. He a tattoo on his arm showing his skin tearing away to reveal a Spiderman costume beneath, which confusingly inverts the whole idea of a superhero disguise. Unless Peter Parker is dressed as Spiderman dressed as Arturo Vidal that is. Getty Images 7/14 Lukas Podolski The German striker probably rues the day he got a large tattoo of the Cologne crest on his bicep before making a big-money move to Arsenal soon after. Especially since he has hardly been a hit for the Gunner’s since joining two years ago. If Robin van Persie did the same before his move to Manchester United he would never see the end of it, nor will Podolski, as he is now stuck with it for life. Reuters 8/14 Raul Meireles Tattoos generally carry some sort of emotional meaning; be it to celebrate the memory of a loved one or commemorate an important date (as without a constant bodily reminder, we would of course forget important life events). With that in mind, the symbolic dragon etched across the whole of Raul Meireles’ back represents the six happy years of his life he spent at Porto who are nicknamed “The Dragons”. This seems a bit excessive given his Champions League victory with Chelsea only merited the word “LOVE” written across his right knuckle with the “O” assuming the Champions League logo. Getty Images 9/14 Nigel de Jong The former Manchester City hard-man has shown his soft side with an intricate butterfly effect pattern that wouldn’t look out of place on a church floor. The design itself is rather tasteful, but the way it has spread like wildfire from his chest onto his neck and hands makes you wonder where it will stop. If rumours linking him to Manchester United are to be believed, expect a more ornately decorated Nigel De Jong than the one who left City two years ago. Instagram 10/14 Lionel Messi He may be the world’s best with the ball at his feet but the Argentine’s tattoo choices leave much to be desired. The portrait on his back of Julia, his mother, is probably the last thing his wife would want to see if he rolls over in bed. Also, the picture of his son’s handprints on his left foot is frankly bizarre. It looks like something is reaching out of the ground and is trying to drag him to hell. Getty Images 11/14 Lionel Messi (again) The world's most precious left leg features a football, a sword, some wings and the No 10. Out of ideas that day, Lionel? Getty Images 12/14 Wesley Sneijder No-one knows whether the disembodied head on Wesley Sneijder’s ribcage is actually Michael Jackson or not, but whether intentional or otherwise, it really is an incredibly likeness. The Dutch international scored a vital goal against Mexico to seal a place for Holland in the quarter finals which keeps alive the possibility of Sneijder’s Champions League tattoo being joined by a World Cup one in between the “Thriller” singer. Getty Images 13/14 Sir Alex Ferguson(ish) A Manchester United fan didn't put enough preparation, research and attention at school into this tattoo, as he emerged from the parlour with 'Sir Alex Feguson' permanently inked on his forearm. Getty Images 14/14 Carlos Tevez The former Manchester United and City striker already had a full sleeve on his right arm, but added to that by covering the whole of his back with various figures, with a sun near the top. The work, done by famed artist Piotrek Taton, is impressive up close, but looks like a giant black smudge from afar. Tiwtter 1/14 Daniele de Rossi Midfield dynamo Daniele De Rossi kindly alerted opposition players of his sharp-tackling reputation by brandishing a bright yellow warning tattoo that looks more like a slipping hazard sign than anything else (perhaps Arjen Robben should book himself in with the same artist). Sadly, however, the ink is on his calf and gets hidden by his socks during games. As a result, the joke is somewhat wasted. Getty Images 2/14 Mauricio Pinilla Why would the Chile striker want to re-live this moment, every single day for the rest of his life? In the 119th minute of the World Cup last-16, Pinilla smashed ha shot against the crossbar against hosts Brazil. Had it gone in, Chile would have made the quarter-final against Colombia. The inscriptions reads: 'One centimetre from glory'. 3/14 Wayne Rooney England striker Wayne Rooney has the title of the Stereophonics third studio album etched on his arm, although the tattoo has also been interpreted as a humorous personal reflection of his own academic failure. Rooney famously didn’t achieve any GCSE’s, but given his £300,000 a week contract he probably doesn’t care too much. Getty Images 4/14 Mario Balotelli The Italian troublemaker had a quote from the Mongolian war-machine Genghis Khan written on his chest to celebrate his first goal of the 2012/13 season for Manchester City. It says “If you had not committed great sins/ God would not have sent/ A punishment like me upon you”. While the behaviour of the Italian could indeed be seen as a “punishment” to those around him, comparing himself to one of the greatest war leaders in history seems excessive… yet completely in-character. Getty Images 5/14 James Rodriguez Arguably the player of the tournament so far, James Rodriguez’s sweet left foot has no doubt been inspired by the strange image of Jesus on his lower leg. With five goals and two assists already, the Colombian winger will be praying that his religious icon can smite Brazil in the quarter-finals and propel Columbia to the title. Getty Images 6/14 Arturo Vidal The midfield ace, strongly linked to Manchester United this summer after his impressive performances at the World Cup, has a selection of body art that is equally as eye catching and somewhat perplexing. He a tattoo on his arm showing his skin tearing away to reveal a Spiderman costume beneath, which confusingly inverts the whole idea of a superhero disguise. Unless Peter Parker is dressed as Spiderman dressed as Arturo Vidal that is. Getty Images 7/14 Lukas Podolski The German striker probably rues the day he got a large tattoo of the Cologne crest on his bicep before making a big-money move to Arsenal soon after. Especially since he has hardly been a hit for the Gunner’s since joining two years ago. If Robin van Persie did the same before his move to Manchester United he would never see the end of it, nor will Podolski, as he is now stuck with it for life. Reuters 8/14 Raul Meireles Tattoos generally carry some sort of emotional meaning; be it to celebrate the memory of a loved one or commemorate an important date (as without a constant bodily reminder, we would of course forget important life events). With that in mind, the symbolic dragon etched across the whole of Raul Meireles’ back represents the six happy years of his life he spent at Porto who are nicknamed “The Dragons”. This seems a bit excessive given his Champions League victory with Chelsea only merited the word “LOVE” written across his right knuckle with the “O” assuming the Champions League logo. Getty Images 9/14 Nigel de Jong The former Manchester City hard-man has shown his soft side with an intricate butterfly effect pattern that wouldn’t look out of place on a church floor. The design itself is rather tasteful, but the way it has spread like wildfire from his chest onto his neck and hands makes you wonder where it will stop. If rumours linking him to Manchester United are to be believed, expect a more ornately decorated Nigel De Jong than the one who left City two years ago. Instagram 10/14 Lionel Messi He may be the world’s best with the ball at his feet but the Argentine’s tattoo choices leave much to be desired. The portrait on his back of Julia, his mother, is probably the last thing his wife would want to see if he rolls over in bed. Also, the picture of his son’s handprints on his left foot is frankly bizarre. It looks like something is reaching out of the ground and is trying to drag him to hell. Getty Images 11/14 Lionel Messi (again) The world's most precious left leg features a football, a sword, some wings and the No 10. Out of ideas that day, Lionel? Getty Images 12/14 Wesley Sneijder No-one knows whether the disembodied head on Wesley Sneijder’s ribcage is actually Michael Jackson or not, but whether intentional or otherwise, it really is an incredibly likeness. The Dutch international scored a vital goal against Mexico to seal a place for Holland in the quarter finals which keeps alive the possibility of Sneijder’s Champions League tattoo being joined by a World Cup one in between the “Thriller” singer. Getty Images 13/14 Sir Alex Ferguson(ish) A Manchester United fan didn't put enough preparation, research and attention at school into this tattoo, as he emerged from the parlour with 'Sir Alex Feguson' permanently inked on his forearm. Getty Images 14/14 Carlos Tevez The former Manchester United and City striker already had a full sleeve on his right arm, but added to that by covering the whole of his back with various figures, with a sun near the top. The work, done by famed artist Piotrek Taton, is impressive up close, but looks like a giant black smudge from afar. Tiwtter

Bite. Energy. Pace. Those are the virtues we idolise in the modern day. Ozil utilises few of them. His game is, and has always been, about selflessness. He creates space, often drawing several defenders out of position. He finds the most astonishing through balls. He enables the great superstars.

The greatest superstar of all, Cristiano Ronaldo, knew this. He adored working with Ozil at Real Madrid and affectionately named him “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”. It was a strikingly poetic moment from the Portuguese, and a rather accurate one at that. Ozil is a magician, insofar as he makes things happen without the spectator noticing he has done so. He is the apprentice, in that he hands the limelight to his more extravagant contemporaries.

He is not always magical, of course. Much of the time, he is as ineffectual as Neureuther claims. In his first season at Arsenal, he has shown only the occasional glimpse of his genius, and at the World Cup he has only been slightly better.

But then for the last few years, Ozil has, by chance as well as by misjudged design, been leading a life unsuited to him. His price tag at Arsenal pushed him into the role of Sorcerer, rather than apprentice. That didn't suit him. The cult of his identity in advertising and social media was something that his advisors – not least his father – appear to have cultivated far beyond the levels which suit a man like Mesut Ozil. He has, both on the pitch and off it, been dragged forcefully out of the shadows and paraded stark naked through the marble streets of modern football.

That is not good for a man like Mesut Özil, and his psychology and consistency have suffered as a result. But his genius remains. In this World Cup, he has played far better than his verbal execution by mob rule would indicate. His passing has been statistically better than that of all his team mates, while his quiet ability to create space from the lack of it has enabled Germany to break through almost entirely defensive opposition.

Mesut Ozil may not be in the form of his life. Let your eye drift over him as you watch a game, and you will certainly reach the same conclusion as Paul Breitner: that he merely wanders around ineffectually.

But, if you have nothing better to do this evening, watch Ozil closely. For ninety minutes. I bet you his 50 million Euro price tag that you will see him doing things you never thought he did. Affecting the game in a way you otherwise would have missed. Quietly. In the shadows.

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