Style of play of Mesut Ozil

A quick, creative and technical player,^[123] Özil excels in an advanced playmaking role,^[124] as a winger on either flank, or as an attacking midfielder through the centre of the pitch.^[125][126] During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he was also deployed in a new role which was later described as a false-10 or central winger, due to his tendency to drift from the centre into a wide position when in possession of the ball;^[127][128] he has also been deployed in a more advanced role, where he usually functions as a second striker, as he often drops into deeper positions, from which he can link the midfield with the attack and initiate passing moves.^[126] An elegant left-footed player, his main attributes are his vision,^{[129][130][131]} his control, movement, passing range, and accurate crossing ability,^{[125][131][132]} which allow him to get into good attacking positions, create chances, and provide many assists for his teammates.^[133]
Due to his creative ability and offensive prowess as a playmaker, Özil has been called "assist-king" in the media.^{[131][134][135][136]} As of January 2016, Özil has the best ratio of assists per game in the history of the Premier League.^[137] Germany under-21 manager Horst Hrubesch once said, "We in Germany are prone to rave about foreign players. We praise Wayne Rooney to the heavens, likewise Ronaldo or Messi. But we have our own Messi. Our Messi is Özil."^[138] In the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Belgium, he scored a goal which has been described as a "work of art."^[11][139] Germany coach Joachim Löw hails Özil for his "genius moments" and his performance without the ball.^[140]

Özil on the ball in the 2014 World Cup Final

Former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso described Özil as "the kind of player you don't find these days," adding, "He understands the game, sees things, combines and thrives between the lines, unlocking teams." José Mourinho, who coached Özil for a time at Real Madrid said, "Özil is unique. There is no copy of him – not even a bad copy."^[141] Assistant coach of the Germany national football team Hans-Dieter Flick said, "We are proud to have him in our team. When he has the ball, you can feel the excitement and astonishment among the fans."^[105] Former Netherlands and Milan forward Ruud Gullit described Özil as a "technically perfect" player who has "total control of the ball" and a "great imagination."^[142] Former Germany teammate Phillip Lahm said of Özil "His vision is probably the best I have ever seen... He is a dream for strikers.",^[143] while Mario Gómez called Özil "probably the most brilliant footballer we have or ever had".^[144] Despite his reputation as an offensive playmaker, Özil has also drawn criticism at times for his lack of physicality and his low defensive work-rate off the ball.^[131]
His nicknames have included "der Rabe" (the Raven, or in Spanish, "El Cuervo") – playing on his smart and opportunistic style of play,^[145] and at Werder Bremen "der neue Diego" (the new Diego), in reference to Brazilian Diego, whose playmaker role he inherited,^[146] "German Messi"^[147] and "German Zidane."^[148] At Real Madrid, he was supposedly called "Nemo" – in reference to the clownfish Nemo from the Pixar movie Finding Nemo.^[141][149]

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