Retired professional footballer Mesut Ozil has explained how Pep Guardiola's failure to meet him resulted in him deciding to join Real Madrid instead of Barcelona after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
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Following the global showpiece in South Africa 13 years ago, the German playmaker went from being a Bundesliga talent to one of the world's most-sought-after midfielders.
Ozil's displays for Germany at that World Cup proved no occasion was too big for him despite his age, leading to interest from Spain's two giant clubs Los Blancos and Barcelona.
In a recent QA, the ex-Arsenal star explained that he decided to join Jose Mourinho's project in Madrid after being given a personal tour of the club by the Portuguese tactician, and claimed that Guardiola did not even care to meet him.
"That was a decision between Real Madrid and Barcelona. And in the end it was not a matter of money," Ozil told Marca.
"I don't know if this is known, but I visited Madrid and Barcelona at that time and the difference was Jose Mourinho.
"Mou gave me a VIP visit to Real Madrid. He took me to see the stadium and all the trophies they had won. That gave me goosebumps. The visit in Barcelona was less enthusiastic and what was more disappointing is that Pep Guardiola didn't bother to meet me.
"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 100% clear: I wanted to be a Madridista."
Ozil joined Real from Werder Bremen in August 2010, going on to represent the Spanish giants on 159 occasions over the course of three seasons.
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