After 92 appearances for Germany, including a key role in the 2014 World Cup victory, Ozil suddenly quit the national squad last July, accusing German football officials of racism. Another lawmaker, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, was equally unimpressed by his invitation to Erdogan. Mesut Ozil and Amine Gulse [Courtesy]The Arsenal midfielder, a third-generation German, whipped up a political storm when he was pictured alongside Erdogan last May. Criticism intensified after the red-faced defending champions crashed out of the first round of the World Cup in Russia. In the wake of the World Cup fiasco, Ozil announced his resignation from the national squad, saying: "I am German when we win, an immigrant when we lose".

Source: Standard Digital March 18, 2019 12:00 UTC