Former Arsenal and German footballer Mesut Ozil joins politics

Mesut Ozil, the former German national team midfielder and World Cup champion, has entered politics by joining the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party.Ozil, 36, was elected Sunday to the central decision and executive committee of the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, during a party congress in Ankara.

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The former Real Madrid and Arsenal footballer joins a list of celebrities recruited by Erdogan as he seeks to bolster his party’s appeal. Former Aston Villa defender Alpay Ozalan also serves as an AKP lawmaker.A German-born son of Turkish immigrants, Ozil was once seen as a symbol of Germany’s multicultural success story. But his relationship with the country soured after he posed for a photograph with Erdogan in 2018, triggering a political backlash amid strained Turkish-German relations.

Shortly afterward, he retired from international football, complaining of racist treatment from the German federation, fans and the media.

Ozil married a former Turkish beauty queen in Istanbul in 2019, with Erdogan being a witness in the ceremony. He built a villa in Istanbul’s Uskudar district, where Erdogan also has a home. He continued his playing career with Turkish teams and retired completely from football in 2023.