Mesut Özil received the Laureus award for the charity work he did last year, with the Arsenal playermaker funding life-saving operations for 23 ill children in Brazil, and now he is continuing his work in South America.
The 26-year-old has now paid for even more operations for more children. His charitable work was in the north-eastern region of Maranhao, at a hospital in Coroata of Brazil. The World Cup winner paid for 11 children, dubbed as “Özil’s Eleven”, to have surgery between 24th October and 7th November of this year, according to Deutscher Fußball-Bund, German FA.
Through the Mesut Özil Foundation in cooperation with aid programme BigShoe, Arsenal’s record signing has committed to helping the children in the country. The Independent also reports that Mesut pledges to make his work an annual event.
“Even one year after we won the World Cup, I want to continue to leave a positive mark in Brazil by financing eleven more children’s operations,” said Özil on the DFB website.
His efforts have been widely praised in the football world, and are a reminder that small amounts of money and a kind heart helping sick children can make a big difference.
Ozil continued and said: “For me it’s very important that I carry on providing help for the children of Brazil”.
