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MESUT ÖZIL

Özil marries in Istanbul, with Erdogan as best man

Former German international footballer Mesut Özil was married in Istanbul on Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as his best man.

Published: 8 June 2019 09:00 CEST

Özil marries in Istanbul, with Erdogan as best man

Photo: picture alliance/Uncredited/Pool Presidential Press Service/AP/dpa

The 30-year-old Özil, who has Turkish family roots, sparked controversy last year when he was photographed with Erdogan, raising questions about the footballer's loyalty to Germany on the eve of their disastrous 2018 World Cup campaign.

The Turkish leader arrived in the early evening for Friday's ceremony at a luxury hotel on the banks of the Bosphorus to see the former Arsenal midfielder marry his fiancee, former Miss Turkey Amine Gulse.

A smiling Erdogan and his wife Emine were seen standing next to the young couple as their marriage was formalised.

After 92 appearances for Germany, including a key role in the 2014 World Cup victory, Özil suddenly quit the national squad last July, accusing German football officials of racism.

READ ALSO: DFB president Grindel admits to mistakes in Özil affair

Özil announced in March that he had asked Erdogan to be his best man.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff was part of a chorus of criticism of the invitation.

Helge Braun, a CDU told the Bild newspaper then that it “makes one sad” that Özil would make a such a move despite having already been sharply criticised by the German public over his first meeting with Erdogan.

Özil has dated Gulse since 2017 and the couple announced their engagement in June 2018.

The footballer, a third-generation German, whipped up a political storm when he was pictured alongside Erdogan last May.

Criticism intensified after the red-faced defending champions crashed out of the first round of the World Cup in Russia.

In the wake of the World Cup fiasco, Özil announced his resignation from the national squad, saying: “I am German when we win, an immigrant when we lose”.

Erdogan often attends marriages in Turkey of celebrities, whom he particularly seeks out during election campaigns.

His presence at Özil's marriage comes ahead of a mayoral election in Istanbul on June 23rd, required after the original voting in March was annulled following a narrow victory for the main opposition Republican People's Party.

READ ALSO: Five key dates in the Mesut Özil saga

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'I felt disrespected': Mesut Özil opens up on racism and German football

Özil celebrating a goal in April in London. Photo: DPA

The Arsenal midfielder, his wife Amine and team-mate Sead Kolasinac were involved in a terrifying car-jacking on July 25th, two weeks before the Premier League season started.

Footage on social media showed Bosnian defender Kolasinac chasing off two moped attackers, who were wearing helmets.

A man admitted in a London court earlier this month to trying to rob Özil and Kolasinac and will be sentenced in November.

READ ALSO: German footballer Mesut Özil and teammate targeted by 'armed car-jacker'

“Sead's reaction was really, really brave because he attacked one of the attackers,” Özil, 31, said in an interview with The Athletic published on Thursday.

“The second one was in front of my car on his moped so I couldn't drive.

“We were newly wed and I was scared about my wife. I was scared about Sead. I wasn't thinking about myself. I was worried they were going to open my wife's door and they tried, so I reached across her to keep it closed.”

Özil, currently out of favour at Arsenal, said although nobody was harmed physically, the incident shook up his wife.

“My wife wanted to get away immediately,” said the ex-Germany international.

“She didn't feel safe. Even if I let our dogs into the garden and went out with them she would say, 'Come in, come in, stay in the house.'”

But he said the incident did not make him want to leave London and he plans to stay until his Arsenal contract expires in 2021.

The 2014 World Cup winner has played just two matches this season, fuelling speculation over his long-term future.

Özil at a test match between FC Arsenal and FC Bayern München in July. Photo: DPA

'Immigrant when we lose'

“When I signed the new deal (in 2018) I thought about it very carefully,” he said.

“I didn't want to stay for just one or two more years, I wanted to commit and the club wanted me to do the same.

“You can go through difficult times, like this, but that is no reason to run away and I'm not going to. I'm here until at least 2021.”

Özil spoke of his disappointment at being singled out for blame when Unai Emery's team under-performs.

“If we don't do well in a 'big' game, it's always my fault,” said the midfielder, who joined Arsenal from Real Madrid in 2013.

“If that's true, how do you explain our results in the 'big' games when I wasn't involved?

“I know people expect me to offer more, dictate play and make the difference — I do, too — but it's not that straightforward.”

He also opened up about his shock early retirement from international football following a disastrous 2018 World Cup campaign in which Germany failed to qualify from their group, claiming that he is seen as “a German when we win, but an immigrant when we lose”.

Özil fell out of favour with German fans on the eve of those finals by controversially posing for a picture with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“I don't say people must love me, but just show respect about what I've done for Germany,” said Özil, who made 92 international appearances.

READ ALSO: 'Scapegoat Özil' should quit German team, says father

“My generation changed German football. It became more fun to watch.

“But after the (Erdogan) photo, I felt disrespected and unprotected.

“I was receiving racist abuse — even from politicians and public figures — yet nobody from the national team came out and said, 'Hey, stop. This is our player, you can't insult him like that'.

“Racism has always been there, but people used this situation as an excuse to let it out.”

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