{"id":291665,"date":"2023-09-19T10:34:42","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T10:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/?p=291665"},"modified":"2023-09-19T10:34:42","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T10:34:42","slug":"mesut-ozil-names-his-champions-league-dream-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/soccer\/mesut-ozil-names-his-champions-league-dream-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Mesut Ozil names his Champions League dream team"},"content":{"rendered":"
Mesut Ozil has named his dream team for the new Champions League season and there are a few surprises.<\/p>\n
Europe’s premier competition gets back underway on Tuesday night with the first round of group matches.<\/p>\n
And former Arsenal and Real Madrid star Ozil has taken to Twitter to name what he describes as his ‘best XI’.<\/p>\n
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland unsurprisingly lead the line with Manchester City’s Rodri at the base of midfield.<\/p>\n
Ozil opts for an Arsenal man in the form of Bukayo Saka on the right wing and a German on the left in Leroy Sane.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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35-year-old Sevilla veteran Ivan Rakitic is an unexpected inclusion alongside Rodri with Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga completing the midfield.<\/p>\n
The back line is made up of former Madrid team-mate Sergio Ramos as well as current Los Blancos defender Antonio Rudiger and Ruben Dias.<\/p>\n
Manuel Neuer, who won the World Cup with Ozil, is between the sticks.<\/p>\n
It’s no surprise to see reigning champions Man City with the most players featuring in the XI (3).<\/p>\n
Ozil retired from football at the age of 34 earlier this year with back problems playing a big role in his decision.<\/p>\n
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Ozil retired from professional football earlier this year after struggling with injuries\u00a0<\/p>\n
Revealing the news in March, he wrote: ‘Hello everyone, After thoughtful consideration, l’m announcing my immediate retirement from professional football.<\/p>\n
‘I’ve had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years now and I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity.<\/p>\n
‘But in recent weeks and months, having also suffered some injuries, it’s become more and more clear that it’s time to leave the big stage of football.’\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ozil had little success in the Champions League as a player, failing to reach a final.<\/p>\n
It’s All Kicking Off\u00a0is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.<\/span><\/p>\n It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify<\/span><\/p>\n Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n .\u00a0<\/p>\n