
Gunning for Greatness: My Life
With an Introduction by Jose Mourinho
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Narrated by:
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Rich Keeble
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By:
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Mesut Özil
About this listen
Mesut Ozil is a midfield magician, casting an elegant spell over opponents and conjuring passes through gaps lesser mortals can't even see. After an eventful sojourn among the Galacticos of Real Madrid, he has savoured silverware at Arsenal, while in 2014 he lifted the World Cup with Germany.
But his life and career have been a test of resilience. Growing up in Germany's Turkish community, he faced prejudice from those who claimed his dual identity would prevent him giving his all for the national team. Later came questions over a different type of commitment, the kind levelled against those, like Mesut Ozil, who excel in football's finer arts rather than relying simply on running and ruggedness. He has proved concerns on both these issues lack substance.
In Gunning for Greatness, Mesut Ozil reveals the inside stories of his relationships with Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, his quest to help the under-fire Frenchman restore Arsenal's preeminence - and how he silenced the sceptics by conquering the world.
©2017 Mesut Özil (P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about Gunning for Greatness: My Life
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Matt B.
- 08-23-17
Gunning for Greatness
I have always admired Mesut Özil as a football player. Being able to read this book and understand more about him as a person as well as certain areas of football was very interesting. I found this book to be inspirational and humbling.
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- Corey
- 02-21-19
Not a lot of arsenal
The man in questions life story is very interesting, he comes from a guest worker family taken in originally after World War 2 to help with the reck struction effort. His story in the bundesliga and la la ligue are interesting but he hardly ever discusses his time in arsenal
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- Nikos Stavropoulos
- 10-24-20
Learning a great deal from Mesut Ozil
Another player who had to overcome obstacles and make his own choices as his career unfolded. Ups & downs, good and bad choices as far as the team's he played and the people who represented him as a football player and was around with. He also has his routines and rituals as an indispensable part of his game. Worth stealing some of them. The way he "sees" the game and takes advantages of the spaces along with his technique are amazing. Great autobiography because it provides with plus and minuses for me to take into account and draw my own conclusions. :)
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- Dylan Tucker
- 05-25-17
Amazing
A must read for any soccer fan. So entertaining it took only 2 days to finish.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Timala L.
- 07-24-17
great story teller
loved it. addicting. you'll thoroughly enjoy the very honest side of things from Ozil, from his early struggles at Schalke to his determination at Arsenal. Read it then read it again!
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- Troy
- 08-24-17
Great Read into common man & uncommon footballer
What was one of the most memorable moments of Gunning for Greatness: My Life?
Pauses life insights along side a biography of his life at that moment.
What about Rich Keeble’s performance did you like?
He reads how it is and great emphasis on the tone of the book.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
A True gunner...
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- Trey
- 11-08-24
The German Turk
Mesut Ozil’s football journey began in Germany,his country of birth . His club career saw him start in Germany, move to English Premier League side Arsenal, and then his last stop at Feberanche in Turkey. The son of Turkish immigrants chose to represent Germany at international level. Throughout the book his struggle with heritage, German or Turkish was evident. His fallout with Arsenal was not described in as much detail as I hoped. Mesut Ozil, despite the controversy surrounding him, was certainly one of the best playmakers of his generation.
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