Mesut Ozil Discusses Jose Mourinho Row, Barcelona Transfer Collapse in New Book

Mesut Ozil has revealed a heated exchange with Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid in which the manager branded him a "coward" and accused him of thinking "50 per cent is enough."

Ozil's upcoming autobiography, The Magic of the Game, is being serialised by German outlet Bild (h/t Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News), and according to the playmaker, Mourinho criticised him after a match: "You think two beautiful passes are enough. You think you're so good that 50 per cent is enough."

After a tense "staredown" between the pair, Ozil responded by throwing his Real shirt at the manager, prompting an angry response: "Oh, are you giving up now? You're such a coward. What do you want? To creep under the beautiful, warm shower? Shampoo your hair? To be alone? Or do you want to prove to your fellow players, the fans out there, and me, what you can do."

The Special One signed Ozil from Werder Bremen soon after his arrival at Real in 2010, making the German one of his first acquisitions at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The pair each spent three seasons at the club, with Ozil making all but two of his 159 appearances for Real under Mourinho, in which time he scored 27 goals and recorded 81 assists.

Luckhurst suggested the Portuguese manager was correct in his assessment, while Bleacher Report UK's James McNicholas posited Ozil would benefit from such tough love now:

The midfielder joined Arsenal from Real in 2013, and while he has produced some sublime football during his time at the Emirates Stadium, he has often faced accusations of laziness and putting in anonymous performances in big games.

Indeed, he most recently did so in Arsenal's 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League:

Ozil's career could have been different, though, as he admitted he came close to joining Barcelona before a lack of interest from Pep Guardiola persuaded him to opt for Los Blancos instead.

Per Metro, he revealed the Spanish giants, Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern were all interested in his services after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He wrote:

"

I visited Barcelona personally and I was convinced to go there. Everything clearly pointed in this direction. No team in the world played more beautiful football at this time.

But the absence of Pep Guardiola made me think again. When my agent and I flew back from Barcelona, I asked him again and again, "Why was the coach not there?" His answer was always the same: "He was on vacation."

"

Ozil explained that Guardiola did not contact him in the days that followed, either, so his desire to join the Blaugrana "steadily declined."

Meanwhile, Mourinho "fought so much at the same time." Ozil added: "He was so convincing. So heartfelt. Trying so hard."

As a result, Ozil swapped Bremen for the Spanish capital.

The 28-year-old would likely have fit in well at the Camp Nou, though, because of his exceptional technical ability and passing range—he was virtually tailor-made to suit the tiki-taka style Guardiola employed at Barca.

He equally suits Arsenal's passing game, and the Emirates Stadium has given him the perfect platform to exercise his creativity in the Premier League, as Squawka Football demonstrated:

This season has been something of a mixed bag, with Ozil proving to be slightly more of a goal threat but creating less when compared with last year, per Squawka:

	2015-16	2016-17
Apps	35	22
Goals	6	5
Assists	19	4
Chances Created	144	59
Chances Created per game	4.11	2.68
Take-Ons per game	1.31	0.91
Pass Completion	87%	87%

Of course, with the number of chances he has created this season, he's unfortunate not to have more assists, so his reduced assist output is not entirely down to him/ providing fewer opportunities for his team-mates.

Much of the season has been characterised by talk of a new deal at the club, but as McNicholas noted, that has gone quiet in recent weeks:

Per the Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel, Ozil is reportedly hoping for a contract worth around £250,000 per week.

Ozil has repeatedly shown himself to be a tremendous player during his time with Arsenal but seemingly not when it matters most.

As important a player as he is for Arsenal, until he can show his abilities against the Gunners' biggest opponents on a consistent basis, the club have perhaps been correct not to meet all of his demands in order to secure his future quicker.

It's still good business to keep him—he and Alexis Sanchez are a cut above the rest of Arsenal's squad in terms of talent—but he still has something to prove to Mourinho and his other critics.