Ozil gets married in Istanbul, with Erdogan as best man



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Ozil, 30, who has roots in the Turkish family, sparked controversy last year when he was photographed with Erdogan, raising questions about the loyalty of the footballer in Germany on the eve of his disastrous campaign of the 2018 World Cup.

The Turkish leader arrived in the early evening for Friday's ceremony at a luxury hotel on the Bosphorus to see the former Arsenal midfielder marry his fiancee, the former Miss Turkey Amine. GULSE.

Erdogan smiling and his wife Emine were seen next to the young couple while their marriage was formalized.

After 92 appearances for Germany, including a key role in winning the 2014 World Cup, Ozil suddenly left the national team last July, accusing German football of racism.

In March, Ozil announced that he had asked Erdogan to be his best man.

The chief of staff of German Chancellor Angela Merkel was part of a chorus of criticism of the invitation.

Helge Braun, a CDU, then told the Bild newspaper that he "was sad" that Ozil was making such a decision, while he had already been heavily criticized by the German public at his first meeting with Erdogan.

Ozil has had an appointment with Gulse since 2017 and the couple announced their engagement in June 2018.

The footballer, a third generation German, provoked a political storm when he was photographed alongside Erdogan last May.

Criticism intensified after the defeat of the defending champions in the first round of the World Cup in Russia.

Following the World Cup fiasco, Ozil announced his resignation from the national team by saying, "I'm German when we win, an immigrant when we lose."

Erdogan often attends celebrity weddings in Turkey, which he particularly looks for during election campaigns.

His presence at the Ozil wedding comes before the election of the mayor of Istanbul on June 23, required after the cancellation of the initial vote in March following a close victory of the Republican People's Party, the main opposition party.

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