Mezut Ozil is inviting Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to his wedding – report

Mesut Ozil Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Ozil is said to have met Erdogan at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, along with his fiancée Amine Gülşe, to invite the leader in person. 

Arsenal's No.10 attracted unwanted media attention for a previous meeting with Erdogan, in which he and Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan posed for a picture with the 65-year-old.

Ozil was forced to defend the incident and received a swathe of xenephobic abuse about his Turkish roots which ultimately led to his premature retirement from the Germany national team. 

Erdogan – a former semi-professional footballer himself – is a divisive figure in Turkey, and indeed, the world. 

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According to CNN, critics have accused him of "autocratic tendencies, corruption and extravagance".   

He has also had fingers pointed at him for trying to curb freedom of speech and not doing enough to protect women's rights. 

Ozil has endured a frustrating season at Arsenal under Unai Emery, starting only 15 Premier League matches.  

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Joe Brewin

Joe was the Deputy Editor at FourFourTwo until 2022, having risen through the FFT academy and been on the brand since 2013 in various capacities. 


By weekend and frustrating midweek night he is a Leicester City fan, and in 2020 co-wrote the autobiography of former Foxes winger Matt Piper – subsequently listed for both the Telegraph and William Hill Sports Book of the Year awards.