A street in Mesut Ozil’s ancestral hometown named after the Arsenal star has seen a picture of him in German kit changed to one of him standing alongside Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
‘Mesut Ozil Street’ is located in the Devrek district of the Black Sea province of Zonguldak, northern Turkey, where the 29-year-old’s family originally hail from.
According to the Hurriyet Daily News, the name of the town’s main street was changed in recognition of Ozil’s achievements in Germany, where he was born and raised in Gelsenkirchen.
That avenue had been marked with a billboard displaying its new name plus a picture of the player with his arms folded wearing a long-sleeved German training top.
However, mayor Mustafa Semerci confirmed that the photo would now be changed, with that work being carried out on Tuesday.
It now shows Ozil posing with his Arsenal shirt and President Erdogan during a meeting between the pair that took place during the latter’s three-day trip to London back in May.
The work was carried out on Tuesday, with the billboard also featuring a small Turkish flag.
