Ankara (KAAB TV) – Mesut Özil, one of the players who won the World Cup as part of the German national team, has now become a part of Turkish politics, becoming a senior member of the country’s ruling party.
On Sunday, Özil was added to the central decision-making and executive committee of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) during a meeting in Ankara, while at the same event, he was re-elected as the leader of the party for the ninth time by President Erdogan.
Mesut Özil, who is of German-Turkish origin, has long had a close relationship with President Erdogan. In 2019, the Turkish president was one of the witnesses at the wedding of Özil and his wife Amine Gulse, who previously won the Turkish beauty pageant.
That news about Mesut Özil came after, weeks later, Özil and Gundogan, who plays for Manchester City and is of Turkish origin, were criticized in Germany after a photo of them with Erdogan was revealed.
Mesut Özil is not the first player to join the AKP – Alpay Özalan, a former Aston Villa player, has been a member of the Turkish parliament since 2018.