Mesut finally makes it happen for super-fan Tak

Freelance illustrator Thitika “Tak” Soontronchat is a huge fan of German football star Mesut Ozil, so you can imagine her delight last Friday night when he posted three of her portraits of him on his Facebook page. She’s been trying to get his attention for four years.
The German international and playmaker for England’s Arsenal club shared Tak’s images with his 25.7 million fans, along with one each by artists in Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.
“Dear fans,” Ozil wrote. “Thank you so much for all those amazing images! You’re simply the best! I hope I can put together many more of these albums for you in the future! Do you have any more? Feel free to send them to #DrawMesut on Twitter or Instagram!”
Tak – better known on the social media by the name “Sweetcocoa” – promptly declared Friday “the best day of my life” on her own Facebook page, Sweetcocoa*Art, which has 26,056 followers. “It’s priceless!” the 27-year-old squealed. “I am super-happy about this! I’ve been waiting for a long time (4 years). I can’t explain my feelings! Oh God!”
She seemed rather excited, and sure enough, didn’t get a wink of sleep because she was so overwhelmed. Congratulations from fans and friends continued to pour in via Twitter and Facebook.
Tak tells Soopsip that she started watching football during the 2010 World Cup and was soon sketching portraits of her favourite player, Ozil. “I’ve been drawing him for four years,” she says. “I’ve lost count how many sketches I’ve made. I’ve sent them to every possible medium where I might reach him, including Facebook and Twitter.”
Not only was there no response to her postings, but Tak also ended up squandering a big portion of her savings on a trip to England in the hope of seeing Ozil live in action on the pitch. Unfortunately, he didn’t play the day she was in the stands. Never mind, though: Disappointments that would cripple a mere mortal’s devotion have no effect on true fans. Tak kept on drawing him, wearing both the German and Arsenal jersey.
So, finally gaining Ozil’s attention was a stunning achievement for the artist, coming along with the bonus of getting her name known among the multitudes of other fans. And there’s even more consolation too it: Tak had recently actually considering giving up on art after some of her drawings were reproduced without authorisation.
Most recently the copyright felons grabbed her group portrait of Germany’s World Cup championship team, which she’d screened on T-shirts to sell. “I was very upset, as you all know, that some of my drawings were taken (can I say ‘stolen’?) without my permission. It hurt so much that I wanted to quit drawing.” Now, though, thanks to Ozil and her own fans’ support and encouragement, Tak is back in the game big-time.