Former Real Madrid and Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil has ventured into politics by joining Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi).
The 36-year-old, who earned 92 caps for the German national team, was elected to the central committee of Erdoğan’s party during a council meeting held in Ankara on Sunday.
Concurrently, Erdoğan was re-elected for the ninth time as the leader of the conservative-democratic party that has governed Turkey since 2002.
Özil’s involvement with Erdoğan has historical context; prior to retiring from international football in 2018, he faced backlash in Germany for posing with Erdoğan during the run-up to the 2018 general elections.
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This incident led to accusations from Reinhard Grindel, then-president of the German Football Association, who claimed Özil and fellow German player İlkay Gündoğan were being “exploited” for political gain.
Critics questioned Özil’s commitment to Germany, suggesting he should be excluded from the national team ahead of the 2018 World Cup, although he ultimately played in the tournament, making two appearances.
Özil’s close ties with Erdoğan are notable; in 2019, Erdoğan attended his wedding to model and actress Amine Gülşe in Istanbul as a special guest.
