Two years after retiring from professional football, Mesut Özil is embarking on a new career—this time in politics.
Never one to shy away from controversy, Özil has often been at the center of debates, but this transition is bound to surprise many. The former German attacking midfielder has been elected as a member of the central decision-making council of the AKP, the party led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a close associate of the 2014 World Cup winner.
The announcement was made on Sunday during a congress in Ankara, where Erdogan was re-elected as the party’s leader.
Re-elected for the ninth time at the helm of the AKP, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has maintained a longstanding relationship with Özil. Even before ending his playing career in Istanbul, the former German international had chosen the Turkish leader as the witness for his wedding in 2019.
A year earlier, a photo of Özil alongside Erdogan and Ilkay Gündogan, taken during an election campaign, sparked major controversy in Germany. Criticized and targeted by the far right, Özil ultimately left the German national team, accusing the federation of racism.
