Mesut Ozil Enters Turkish Politics After Football Career
Image credits: Pic: Reuters
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 to the central decision and executive committee of the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, during a party congress in Ankara. The German World Cup winner, who is of Turkish descent, drew criticism during his career for having close ties to president Erdogan, whose political party he will now serve.
Ozil retired from the German national team in 2018, five years before his wider retirement from the game, after a photo of him meeting the Turkish president in London caused uproar. Reinhard Grindel, who was the head of Germany's soccer federation at the time, accused the players of allowing themselves to be "exploited" by Mr Erdogan for political purposes. Some German politicians questioned Ozil's loyalty to Germany, suggesting he should be removed from the national squad ahead of the World Cup in 2018. Ozil got married to Amine Gulse in Istanbul the following summer, with Mr Erdogan present at the wedding. Mr Erdogan has presided over Turkey for more than two decades - as prime minister since 2003 and president since 2014.
His critics say he has turned Turkey into an autocracy and eroded people's rights, having introduced a new system in 2018 that abolished the office of the prime minister and concentrated most powers in the hands of the president. Ozil, who won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, left Arsenal for Turkish side Fenerbahce in 2021 before moving to Istanbul Basaksehir in 2022, where he retired a year later. Ozil is just the latest sportsperson to try his hand at politics. Another highly decorated footballer who transitioned is former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and AC Milan striker George Weah, who became the president of Liberia in 2018.
The then-51-year-old was the country's first democratically-elected leader since 1944, having run on a mandate to stop corruption and create jobs. He lost the next election to 79-year-old Joseph Boakai last month. Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan, who was last month given a 14-year jail sentence in a land corruption case, initially rose to prominence as a cricketer in the 1970s. The controversial 72-year-old captained Pakistan to World Cup glory in 1992, famously telling his teammates to fight like "cornered tigers". Multiple world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko was elected as the mayor of Ukrainian capital Kyiv in 2014, just a year after hanging up his gloves. The 53-year-old has remained in the post as the country has defended itself against Russian aggression for three years.
Here are some notable sportspeople who have turned to politics:
- George Weah: former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and AC Milan striker who became the president of Liberia in 2018
- Imran Khan: former Pakistan prime minister who initially rose to prominence as a cricketer in the 1970s
- Vitali Klitschko: multiple world heavyweight boxing champion who was elected as the mayor of Ukrainian capital Kyiv in 2014
- Manny Pacquiao: boxing legend who retired from the sport to focus on his campaign to be president of the Philippines
- Romario: one of the most prolific goalscorers in football history for Brazil, who has been a member of the country's Senate since 2015
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