FOOTBALLER OZIL DONATES WORLD CUP EARNINGS FOR GAZA CHILDREN
Berlin, 18 Ramadhan 1435/16 Juli 2014 (MINA) – German footballer Mesut Ozil, who plays for Arsenal, reportedly said he is donating his World Cup earnings to the children of Gaza following his country’s triumph in the cup.
The German Football Association awarded each of the team’s players a €300,000 bonus for winning the cup, in addition to €150,000 following their semi-final win and other rewards for every game, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Wednesday.
The star has had much coverage on social networking sites after he started the final against Argentina with a recitation of the Quran on the pitch, and concluded the game prostrating in thanks to God.
Ozil caused controversy after he declined to shake hands with a FIFA official because of his support for Israel.
Muslim Ozil is of Turkish origin.
Who is Mesut Özil?
Mesut Özil (German pronunciation: [ˈmeːzut ˈøːzil], Turkish: [me̞ˈsut ˈø̞zil]; born 15 October 1988) is a German professional footballer who plays for English club Arsenal and the German national team. Özil has been a youth national team member since 2006, and a member of the German national team since 2009.
Özil is a practising Muslim. He recites from the Quran before his matches. Talking to the Berlin-based daily Der Tagesspiegel, Özil said, “I always do that before I go out (on the pitch). I pray and my teammates know that they cannot talk to me during this brief period.”
He observes fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan but he has admitted that: “Because of my job I cannot follow Ramadan properly. I do it only the few days I can, only when I have a free day. But other than that it’s impossible, because you have to drink and eat a lot to stay at peak fitness.”
In 2010, Özil received the Bambi award for being a prime example of successful integration within German society.
He gained international attention during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was nominated for the Golden Ball Award, which is awarded to the tournament’s best player.
Özil started his senior career at hometown club Schalke in the Bundesliga in 2006, transferred to Werder Bremen in 2008 and transferred to Real Madrid in August 2010 following his breakout performance at the FIFA World Cup with Germany.
On transfer deadline day of summer 2013, he moved to Arsenal for a club-record fee of £42.5 million. The transfer makes him the most expensive German football player of all time.
Özil is acclaimed for his finesse and improvisation as an attacking midfielder. His style and ability for providing assists for his team-mates has been compared by former manager José Mourinho to that of Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.
In 2011, Özil ranked first in assists in major European and domestic competitions with 25. In 2012, he ranked first in assists in La Liga with 17. He was also one of the top assist providers in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012 with three in both tournaments.
Özil is a third-generation Turkish-German, who, in reference to his game, concludes, “My technique and feeling for the ball is the Turkish side to my game. The discipline, attitude and always-give-your-all is the German part.” Although of Turkish descent, his entire life has been committed to Germany. His ancestors are from Devrek, Zonguldak in North-Western Turkey. (T/P012/E01)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
