Former Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil has expressed his interest in playing for a Liga 1 Indonesia club sometime in the future. The German, who was frozen out by his club Fenerbahce at the conclusion of the 2021/22 Turkish Super Lig season due to a disagreement with his head coach, is currently visiting Indonesia as part of his commitment as a brand ambassador for a sporting brand in the country, and although he has been linked with newly-promoted RANS Cilegon, Ozil revealed that he’s interested in playing for reigning Liga 1 champions Bali United should he’s given the chance.
Speaking at a press conference for the sporting brand that he’s endorsing on Wednesday, Ozil spoke about a lot of things to the journalists attending, including his interest in Indonesia, his favorite Indonesian food, and the development of football in the country.
Also being discussed was RANS Cilegon’s interest in acquiring Ozil’s services. The newly-promoted club, backed by actor/YouTuber/presenter/entrepreneur Raffi Ahmad, had openly declared their interest in Ozil a few months ago, and apparently, the news had gotten into the 33-year-old’s ears.
Responding to the rumors, Ozil revealed that he would not join Raffi’s star-studded and cash-loaded squad should he be given the offer to play in Indonesia. Instead, Ozil opted to play for two-time defending Liga 1 champions Bali United.
“I still have my contacts in Fenerbahce and I’m happy there. But if I receive an offer to play for an Indonesian club, I’d choose Bali United,” said Ozil, as quoted from Okezone.
And whilst he remained coy about a move to RANS Cilegon – after all, Ozil’s still contracted to Fenerbahce until at least 2024 – Ozil revealed that Bali’s reputation as a tourist destination, combined with the island’s stunning views and weather, made it a no-brainer for him to chose the Serdadu Tridatu as his port-of-call should he be given a chance to play in the Liga 1.
“We will never know what will happen in the future, so never say never,” said Ozil.