Mesut Ozil in pics like never seen before

Özil is a third-generation Turkish-German, who, in reference to his game, concludes, "My technique and feeling for the ball is the Turkish side to my game. The discipline, attitude and always-give-your-all is the German part." Although of Turkish descent, his entire life he has been committed to Germany. His ancestors are from Devrek, Zonguldak in North-Western Turkey and are ethnic Kurds.
Özil is a practising Muslim. He recites from the Quran before his matches. Talking to the Berlin-based daily Der Tagesspiegel, Özil said, "I always do that before I go out [on the pitch]. I pray and my teammates know that they cannot talk to me during this brief period." He observes fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan but he has admitted that: "Because of my job I cannot follow Ramadan properly. I do it only the few days I can, only when I have a free day. But other than that it's impossible, because you have to drink and eat a lot to stay at peak fitness."
In 2010, Özil received the Bambi award for being a prime example of successful integration within German society.
Özil has been dating singer Mandy Capristo since 2013.