In 2008, Mesut Özil moved to Werder Bremen for a reported amount of €4.3 million, signing a contract with the German club until June 30, 2011. He soon became popular in the club, leading them to the 2009 DFB-Pokal final with the winning goal against Bayer Leverkusen. He helped the team make it to the UEFA Cup, but lost to Shakhtar Donetsk. 