Mario Gotze has been awarded with a special award for work outside of football, but the World Cup winner accidentally dropped his medal during the prestigious event.
The 28-year-old received the North Rhine-Westphalia Order of Merit at the event in Cologne, Germany, in recognition of his charitable work around the world.
Gotze is involved in various initiatives across the world, including building schools in West Africa as well as projects in Madagascar, Cambodia, Indonesia and Honduras. He also looks after three sponsored children in Senegal, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The former Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund star also runs a football project for girls in Brazil, while in Nepal he has helped free young girls from serfdom as well as preventing children from contracting AIDS.
For his outstanding work, Gotze was awarded the Order of Merit by North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet.
'Today it's about Mario Gotze's social commitment,' Laschet said. 'And here, too, he is at an international level.'
While posing for pictures outside of the Cologne venue, Gotze was snapped appearing to drop the medal out of its box while he stood with his certificate.
EN24 reports that the medal, which is shaped as a star with the national coat of arms in the centre, was not damaged after it fell to the ground.
Gotze shared an image of himself with Laschet at the ceremony on Monday, and could not hide his pride at winning the award, before adding he will try not to drop the medal again.
'It is a great honor for me to receive the North Rhine-Westphalia Order of Merit,' he wrote on Instagram.
'I will continue to support disadvantaged children all over the world - together with my wife.
'I will find a safe place for the medal so that I don't drop it again'.
JamesWalker
1
Keep Going Sir, Keep up the Good works 👊🔥