Mesut Özil has not given his World Cup bonus money to the children of Gaza, several international media outlets have reported following rumors that the German World Cup winner had done so.
He cleared up the rumours by revealing that he was actually funding sick children in Brazil to undergo surgery. After Germany's victory in the World Cup, reports emerged that in the high-profile celebrations Özil had pledged to give his bonus to the children suffering in Gaza due to the on-going turmoil between Hamas and Israel. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and singer Rihanna, among the others, were present in the celebration. Özil’s representative told The Independent that Özil has been giving money to 11 sick children in Brazil to undergo surgery.
The 25-year-old footballer on his Facebook page revealed that he would use the bonus money to help fund more operations, with plans to take that number to 23 to replicate the number of players in the victorious Germany squad. “The claim that Mesut donated money to Gaza is not true,” said the mid-fielder's representative Roland Eitel. “Maybe in the future, who knows? He donated money to causes in Brazil and he is now on holiday.” Ozil added a picture on his official Facebook profile showing him with four children holding a large football boot and kitted out in the Germany strip, along with the message: “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”