Can Oezil make it at Real Madrid?

As I had speculated earlier this week, in the end it was a matter of the transfer fee. The exact fee hasn't been made public, but it is estimated to be in the region of 15 Million Euros. While in Bremen they say they made a good piece of business as Oezil would have been a free agent at the end of the season, Real Madrid say they signed a top talent for a low fee. Now Germany's Mesut Oezil has signed a six year contract with Real Madrid and has fulfilled his wish to join the Spanish giants.

In Spain the media is already going gaga over the Oezil signing. Headlines read in the big sports papers say "sheer raw talent", "the find of the 2010 World Cup" or "the German Zidane". About the last one, is someone is Spain reading my blog??? I had actually written a blog entry about this during the World Cup. Just kidding...

Here the link for those of you interested to read the story: Mesut Oezil - the new Zidane?

But for Oezil all these compliments and high expectations mean a lot of pressure on the shoulders of the 21 year old youngster, who has a lot of talent but who hasn't played through a full Bundesliga season without any ups and downs. Last season at Werder Bremen he started off with a bang, but in the second half of the season never could play on that level again. The same happened at the World Cup, surely he had exceptional games for Germany but also others were he was part of the team but no stand-out. At Real Madrid such ups and downs could mean the bench or sitting in the stands, something which Oezil at this early stage of his career will try to avoid.

And Oezil is rather an introvert. He isn't outgoing like other footballers, rather a calm and quiet person and at Werder Bremen it wasn't the hustle and bustle of a Real Madrid where every step of his can be watched. That he engaged to German pop singer Sarah Connor's sister will surely add to the glamour factor, but nothing that Oezil normally worries about. But he will have Germany team mate Sami Khedira there for companionship which should help both players settle in the Spanish capital. They are the second German pair after 1974 World Cup winners Guenter Netzer and Paul Breitner who play at the same time at the Bernabeu.

I hope that Oezil makes it at Real Madrid and that he has a great career ahead of him. But as written, it will not be easy...