Mesut Ozil's wedding with Turkish Leader Erdogan as his best man. Photo Doc. The National

Turkish Leader Erdogan became The Best Man at Mesut Ozil’s Wedding

Mesut Ozil, the former German international footballer, married his girlfriend Amine Gulse, former Miss Turkey, at a luxury hotel on the banks of the Bosphorus. Ozil, who is the third generation Turkish-German, also invited the Turkish President Recep Erdogan as his best man at his wedding.

The couple started dating in 2017 until finally announced their engagement in June 2018. Ozil also announced in March 2019 that he’d asked Erdogan to be his best man.

Erdogan who was reportedly often attends celebrity marriages in Turkey, especially during election campaigns, attended Ozil’s wedding ahead of re-run of mayoral elections in Istanbul. Erdogan and his wife were seen standing delightedly next to the young couple and wished them “the best of luck”.

This news had sparked criticism in Ozil’s home country, Germany. As stated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff Helge Braun for Bild newspaper, it “makes one sad” that Ozil would make such a choice. Even after the controversy and criticism that sparked after Ozil’s first meeting with the Turkish leader in May 2018 ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia that aroused questions about where his loyalty lay, he still managed to continue his relationship with the leader.

Ozil himself resigned from German’s national team amid the racism and disrespect he had experienced. He was the highest-paid player and was a key member of his country’s 2014 World Cup winning side. However, after the defeat of German team on 2018 World Cup in Russia, he gained criticism and had received hate mail and threats. He stated that he is German when they win, but an immigrant when they lose.  

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48564192