02.12.2025 17:34
Former football player and AK Party Central Decision and Executive Board member Mesut Özil was a guest at the "Library Conversations" program launched in the library of the AK Party Congress Center. In response to the question, "Who is the most famous name in your phone book?" Mesut Özil made a striking comment, saying, "The most famous person in my phone is my esteemed President (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan). The rest is a lie."
The third guest of the "Library Conversations" program, initiated by the AK Party's Directorate of Culture and Arts Policies at the AK Party Congress Center's library, was Mesut Özil.
'WE PROTECTED OUR CULTURE'
Recalling that he was born and raised in Germany, Özil emphasized the importance of family and being together, stating, "Since we lived in a region as expatriates, we preserved this family structure to support each other more, we protected our culture, and we looked at each other with respect and love. That's how we lived."
'THE MOST FAMOUS NAME IN MY PHONE IS MY PRESIDENT, THE REST IS A LIE'
In response to the question of who the most famous name in his phone book is, Mesut Özil made a striking comment, saying, "The most famous person in my phone is my President (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan). The rest is a lie."
'I REALLY LIKED ZIDANE'
Stating that he followed Super League matches in Turkish coffee houses in Germany from a young age, Özil said, "When I watched football, I really liked Zinedine Zidane. Because he played very comfortably. There was no pressure, he didn't lose the ball. I said to myself, hopefully one day I will play as beautifully as he does."
'MY FOOTBALL CAREER IS OVER, I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT'
Özil, who stated that he has never commented on not playing for the Turkish National Team during his professional football career, continued: "Unfortunately, many people in Turkey have talked about this issue regarding me. Let me say this, what happened has happened. By God's will, I won the World Cup with Germany. But when I look back, I wonder where I would have come if I had played for the Turkish National Team? What feelings would I have experienced? Honestly, I have thought a lot about this myself. But since I cannot turn back time, what happened has happened, and what is over is over. However, it was not as it was talked about at that time. I don't want to talk about other issues either. Because as I said, my football career is over, I don't want to fight."