Ozil Reveals His Arsenal Role Model

World Cup winner Mesut Ozil has revealed the current Arsenal player he likes to call his role model.

The midfielder named German teammate and Arsenal vice-captain Per Mertesacker as the player he admires most.

Mertesacker, who led Arsenal to a Community Shield victory over Chelsea on Sunday, is seen by Ozil as the perfect leader in Arsene Wenger’s current squad.

"I always see Per as a role model,” Ozil told Arsenal’s official website.

"He always gives everything for the team, you can see that he’s determined and wants to be successful. You can sense that on the pitch.

"He’s very focused, very professional. He does his job 100% – he’s not the sort of person who does things by half measures. He’s rather the sort of person who, if he has something in his head, wants to see it through.

"He looks after himself and his diet, and before matches he does his exercises to make sure that he stays fit and doesn’t pick up any injuries.

"You can see on the pitch that he’s fresh and is always there for everyone.

"We’re just really pleased to have him and you can sense on the pitch that he gives everything for the team."

Ozil and the rest of his Arsenal teammates start the new Premier League season at the Emirates on Saturday, against West Ham United.

Are you surprised by Ozil’s choice of role model? Have your say in the comments section below.