Mesut Ozil revealed that he almost joined Barcelona in 2010 following the World Cup the same year.

Ozil thought he would sign to Barcelona but Pep Guardiola put him off the most, meanwhile, Jose Mourinho ended up convincing him to join Real Madrid the same year.

With every major league suspended due to the coronavirus disruptions, Marca decided to take a look back at Ozil’s most ‘shocking’ quotes.

Included in the Ozil quotes was the reason why he joined Real and just how close he came to making a Barcelona move.

READ: The Secret Life Of Arsenal Star Mesut Ozil

Ozil was quoted as saying: “After the 2010 World Cup, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Manchester United wanted me. My favourite was Barcelona: I’d never seen a team play as beautifully as them.”

I thought I’d sign for Barcelona, but it didn’t seem like [Pep] Guardiola really wanted me. His absence made me suspicious – they said he was on holiday.

“Mourinho was very convincing, friendly and insistent. He was completely the opposite to the Barcelona coach. So, I decided to go with Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid.”

Ozil won the La Liga under the stewardship of Mourinho at Real Madrid as well as the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana.

The 31-year-old joined Arsenal following his stint at Real in 2013.

The playmaker went onto win three FA Cup trophies and also lifted the 2014 World Cup since joining the Gunners.

Ozil is currently in self-isolation at home due to the Covid-19 outbreak.