Ozil makes £80,000 donation to Turkish charity to help muslims during Ramadan

Mezut Ozil has chipped in to help those struggling with the coronavirus in Turkey after pledging £80,000 for muslims during Ramadan.

The Germany international, who is of Turkish descent, made the generous donation to provide food and aid for 16,000 muslims throughout the holy month.

Turkish Red Crescent will now be able to give iftar, which is eaten to end the day of fasting, to families across Turkey and Syria, with 2,000 packages expected to be dispatched.

Kerem Kinik, of Turkish Red Crescent, praised Ozil for his contribution and said it would be gratefully received by those in need.

'At the Red Crescent, we stand by those in need 365 days a year,' he said, as reported by the Daily Sabah. 'Of course, we do this thanks to donations made by philanthropist friends who follow our work. As donations increase, we will be able to reach even more people in need.

'Thanks to our brother Mesut, we will be able to deliver packages provided to people in need – delivering them as soon as possible.

It comes just weeks after Ozil was plunged into controversy for refusing 12.5 per cent wage deductions suggested by the Arsenal hierarchy.

Sportsmail revealed last month that the 31-year-old was one of the Gunners players resisting the club's efforts to impose the squad-wide cuts as they look to ease the financial burden during the coronavirus outbreak.

The midfielder, who is said to earn around £350,000 a week at the Emirates, is understood to be open to taking a wage deferral worth more than the 12.5 per cent cut some of his teammate have taken.

His contract is set to expire next summer and the playmaker's future at the club is looking uncertain. He has scored just once this season, with two assists in 23 games under both Unai Emery and new boss Mikel Arteta.