Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil has insisted in an interview with Bild that he has nothing to prove at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The German international has come in for some criticism in certain quarters after a relatively poor start to the season, with his lifestyle even being questioned, but has defended himself against his detractors.
“I do not need it [the criticism] to help me perform. I don’t play football to prove anything to anyone but because I enjoy it,” asserted the 23-year-old.
On joining up with the German national team, Ozil was at pains to stress that he believes the flak he has been forced to take is unwarranted, although he claims it is something he has ‘needed to get used to’.
“It is very difficult to choose the right words to use with Spanish journalists,” he admitted.
On rumours that Manchester United could be interested in his signature, Ozil maintains he knows nothing while maintaining that ‘whoever plays for Real Madrid cannot think of other things’.
“There is not one reason for me to leave Real Madrid,” he declared.
