Throwback to Mesut Ozil's 'greatest assist' as he offered to pay Gunnersaurus' wages after mascot was let go by Arsenal

Mesut Ozil made headlines in 2020 as he offered to pay Gunnersaurus's wages after seeing the mascot initially let go by Arsenal after 27 years of service.

Jerry Quy was relieved of his mascot duties at Emirates Stadium back in October 2020, with the club deciding that his services were no longer required in the absence of supporters amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the years, Quy had become a much-loved figure at Arsenal after donning the famous dinosaur suit in 1993, three years before the arrival of legendary manager Arsene Wenger.

Gunnersaurus was on the touchline during a golden era for the club which saw the team win three Premier League titles, but had become a victim of cost-cutting measures amid the financial uncertainty of the coronavirus crisis.

Arsenal announced plans for 55 redundancies in August 2020 as they set about reducing their costs without the safety net of weekly match-day revenue from ticket sales, broadcasters and commercial companies.

Gunners legend Paul Merson was among those to express his disappointment after the decision to part ways with Gunnersaurus, telling Sky Sports: "Unbelievable. All them kids, the Junior Gunners, there will be 30 and 40-year-old fans who have grown up with that dinosaur. It's disappointing, I think it's poor by Arsenal, I really do."

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Ozil, though, was quick to involve himself and do his bit to resolve the situation. He wrote on Twitter at the time: "I was so sad that Jerry Quy aka our famous & loyal mascot Gunnersaurus and integral part of our club was being made redundant after 27 years.

"As such, I’m offering to reimburse Arsenal with the full salary of our big green guy as long as I will be an Arsenal player." 

A month later and Gunnersaurus had been reinstated to his position.

Reacting to the news, Ozil wrote at the time: "Happy to see you back where you belong #YaGunnersYa."

The former Germany international, who announced his retirement from football on March 22, will go down as one of the game's all-time top creative midfielders but his 'assist' for Gunnersaurus will always be fondly remembered, by Arsenal supporters and general football fans across the globe.