Germany’s Mesut Ozil has donated his World Cup 2014 bonus to funding the surgeries for sick children in Brazil.
In a statement released on the midfielder’s official 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. #Bigshoe #Brasil2014”
The Germany and Arsenal midfielder is believed to have contributed roughly £240,000, the amount of money he received for helping Germany defeat Argentina in the World Cup final. It had previously been reported that the 25-year-old had donated money to children in Gaza effected by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, but his representative Roland Eitel informed The Independent that this was not the case, saying: “The claim that Mesut donated money to Gaza is not true.
“Maybe in the future, who knows? He donated money to causes in Brazil and he is now on holiday.”
Photo: Getty Images
