Oezil picked Real over Inter

Mesut Oezil says he had a chance to join Inter Milan after the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but opted for Real Madrid instead.

Sport Bild has claimed then-Inter coach Jose Mourinho first attempted to lure Oezil to Serie A in 2009.

Inter made another offer for the former Werder Bremen star one year later, and were reportedly willing to pay 25 million euros for the attacking midfielder.

However, Oezil had set his sights on a switch to Real, and he joined up with Mourinho in the Spanish capital in August 2010, for a fee believed to be approximately 15 million euros.

“It is true that in 2010 I had offers from some top European clubs,” Oezil told Sport Bild.

“This included Inter. But the decision to go to Real was absolutely right. It’s the best club in the world, and I would like to end my career here.

“I am only 23 years old, I will not reach my peak for a long time. I’ll become even better. I am concentrating fully on Madrid and the national team, because we can make history this year.

“We (Real) can win La Liga and the Champions League, and in the summer, the European Championship with Germany.”

The former Schalke man went on to discuss the performances of Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, and had nothing but praise for the Argentine.

“It was impressive to see how Messi played against Leverkusen,” he said.

“Of course he is top class, as are many other players from Barcelona.

“But we have grown together as a team, which can be seen in La Liga. We are leading the table.”

Real hold a six-point lead over defending champions Barcelona in the Liga table.

And they defeated APOEL Nicosia 3-0 in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.