German World Cup winner Mesut Özil has married the former Miss Turkey, Amine Gulse, at a plush ceremony in Istanbul. His best man was Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Former German international footballer Mesut Özil married actress Amine Gülse on Friday evening, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acting as his best man.
Footage published immediately after the wedding ceremony in Istanbul showed the 30-year-old midfielder dancing with his new bride.
A smiling Erdogan and his wife Emine were seen standing next to the young couple during the marriage vows, which took place on the banks of the Bosporus, in one of the city’s most expensive hotels.
The Turkish leader went on to wish the pair “the best of luck.”
Erdogan’s involvement is likely to create as much publicity as the wedding itself. Özil, who was born in Germany to Turkish parents, drew condemnation last year when he posed for pictures with Erdogan ahead of elections in Turkey and ahead of the World Cup in Russia. The footballer was even booed during pre-World Cup matches, despite scoring.
The fallout from the controversy led him to retire from the national team after Germany’s World Cup group stage exit.
Last month, Özil broke fast during Ramadan with Erdogan, further fueling accusations of his support for the controversial leader, who has cemented his position by granting sweeping powers to the presidency and aggressively silencing his critics.
Wedding gesture
Özil confirmed the wedding in a statement on social media late on Thursday and pledged to pay for the surgeries of 1,000 disadvantaged children to mark his wedding.
“As a professional footballer, I am in a fortunate and privileged position,” he wrote. “Amine and I will bear the expenses for surgeries of 1,000 children in need.”
He then encouraged further donations for the German medical charity, Big Shoe, which carries out the surgeries.
Footage later emerged on social media as the official celebrations got underway on Thursday evening when Özil and Swedish-born Gülse attended a glitzy pre-wedding bash in the city.
The Turkish Red Crescent Society, meanwhile, said Özil had made a large cash donation to the charity that allowed it to distribute food to 16,000 people affected by poverty and war in Turkey and neighboring Syria.
Özil is reportedly English Premier League club Arsenal’s highest-paid player but hasn’t had an easy season. He’s been dropped from the starting line-up, left out of the squad completely and missed numerous games through injury and illness, as questions surfaced about his commitment.
source:
https://www.dw.com/en/erdogan-officiates-at-footballer-mesut-özils-wedding/a-49105180
Categories: Asia, Europe, Europe and Australia, European Union, Germany, Turkey, Turks
Nice that the couple is making this large donation to charities on this occasion, may Allah reward them and bless their marriage and future.
I doubt is the wedding was in an ISLAMIC form
But anyway the huge donation is something great
Turkey has adopted the Swiss Civil Code (Ata Turk seemed to like it). Like in Western Countries they can do a Nikah from an Islamic cleric if they like to (but do not need to). But, that is a detail, yes, the donations are great.