Mesut �zil is a German professional footballer who plays for English club Arsenal and the German national team. �zil has been a youth national team member since 2006, and a member of the German national team since 2009. He gained international attention during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was nominated for the Golden Ball Award, which is awarded to the tournament's best player. �zil started his senior career at hometown club Schalke in the Bundesliga in 2006, transferred to Werder Bremen in 2008 and was signed by Real Madrid in August 2010 following his break-out performance at the FIFA World Cup with Germany. On transfer deadline day of summer 2013, he moved to Arsenal for a club-record fee of �42.5 million. The transfer makes him the most expensive German football player of all time. �zil is acclaimed for his finesse and improvisation as an attacking midfielder. His style and ability for providing assists for his team-mates has been compared by former manager Jos� Mourinho to that of Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane. In 2011, �zil ranked first in assists in major European and domestic competitions with 25. In 2012, he ranked first in assists in La Liga with 17. 

October 15th, 1988 in Gelsenkirchen (Age 36)