German national team leading force and Fenerbahçe star Mesut Özil attended Friday prayers at the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta.
Özil visited the sprawling mosque, one of the symbols of the city, under an agreement with the Indonesian Tourism Ministry to promote the country.
“Thank you for having me here. My goal is always to pray in this beautiful mosque with you guys. Assalamu Aleykum,” Özil said after the prayer.
The German player of Turkish origin presented a Fenerbahçe jersey to the mosque’s chief imam, Nasaruddin Umar.
The 33-year-old midfielder held a joint press conference with the country’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno before coming to the mosque.
Özil then visited the factory where his own brand’s products are produced and met with officials of the Bali United Club before attending a training session organized for young people at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
Özil won the 2020 Global Muslim Celebrity of the Year for speaking up about human rights violations, especially to the oppressed Muslim minorities in different parts of the world.
During his career, Özil played for big-name clubs including Real Madrid and Arsenal, bagging four English FA Cups in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020 and winning the 2012 Spanish La Liga title with Real Madrid.
He joined Fenerbahce on a free transfer from Arsenal in January 2021 and scored nine goals in 37 matches for the Istanbul club.
However, Özil has been dropped from the Fenerbahce squad with no explanation in March.
He scored 23 goals in 92 caps for Germany.
In his first FIFA World Cup finals with Germany in 2010, Özil was awarded a bronze medal in South Africa.
Özil then helped the German national team win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Mesut Özil attends Friday prayers during visit to Indonesia, world’s largest Muslim population.
