sport news Mesut Ozil admits he cried after leaving Real Madrid to join Arsenal in 2013 trends now
Mesut Ozil has revealed that he 'started to cry' after boarding a plane that saw him leave Real Madrid to complete a transfer to Arsenal, while Pep Guardiola 'didn't bother' to meet him to discuss a move to Barcelona in the past.
The former Germany international announced his retirement from professional football days ago at the age of 34, stating that 'it's time to leave the big stage'.
He has since opened up on his career as he sat down with Spanish news outlet Marca to discuss his time with Real Madrid in La Liga.
When asked about his departure from the club, before joining Arsenal, Ozil revealed: 'I was very sad when I left Madrid. I remember that at the airport.
'When the plane in which I was leaving Madrid took off, I started to cry.'
Mesut Ozil admitted that he 'started to cry' when his plane took off to leave Madrid
The midfielder revealed that he fell out with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez
Ozil announced his retirement from professional football, aged 34, after a spell in Turkey
However, before joining Los Blancos, Ozil had an opportunity to move to Barcelona after visiting their training ground.
Ozil revealed that Guardiola, Barcelona boss at the time, did not meet him during his visit, while Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho 'went all out' to confirm his signing from Werder Bremen.
'The visit in Barcelona was less enthusiastic and what was more disappointing is that Pep Guardiola didn't bother to meet me,' he said. 'Before that trip I really liked Barcelona's style of football and I could really imagine playing with them, but Madrid went all out.
'So Jose Mourinho was without a doubt the most important factor in my decision. After my visits, my decision was one hundred percent clear: I wanted to be a Madridista.'
The 34-year-old continued to discuss his reasoning for leaving Madrid
