Mesut Ozil paying for surgeries of 23 Brazilian children to show thanks for World Cup hospitality
By Brooks Peck
July 17, 2014
Dirty Tackle
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Prior to the World Cup, Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil promised to sponsor the surgeries of 11 Brazilian children in need as part of the BigShoe charity campaign. But now that Germany has won the World Cup, Ozil has announced that he will sponsor the surgeries of 23 children — one for every member of the German squad — to show his thanks for the host nation's hospitality throughout the tournament.
The day after arriving back in Berlin with the World Cup trophy, Ozil declared his intentions via his Facebook page. He wrote:
"Dear fans,
Prior to the #WorldCup I supported the surgery of eleven sick children. Since the victory of the #WorldCup is not only due to eleven players but to our whole team, I will now raise the number to 23. This is my personal thank-you for the hospitality of the people of Brazil."
Each player on the German team is expected to receive a bonus of €300,000 ($405,778) for winning the country's fourth World Cup title. So it seems Ozil, who became the most expensive German player of all time when he moved from Real Madrid to Arsenal last summer, will be reinvesting at least some of his prize money into the country that hosted one of the greatest moments of his life. It also might help make up for the fact that Germany beat Brazil 7-1 in the semifinals.
Mesut Ozil: A true champion on and off the pitch.
