Mesut Ozil, 31, World Cup winner, does a lot of charity work.
The ex-Germany international undoubtedly selflessly uses his wealth for the good of others and that should be remembered. On his wedding day, in one well-known example, he donated for 1000 surgeries for children in need.
But he is getting criticism from the Gunners faithful for being one of 3 Arsenal stars who have refused the 12.5% pay cut.
Ozil and his agent have asked for more time to assess the medium-term impact of Covid-19 and have not ruled out accepting a reduction in salary.
But of course, the very fact that this story has come out will not please most Arsenal fans, many of whom are far more negatively impacted financially.
It sounds a bit difficult to swallow, because Ozil is coincidentally the highest paid Arsenal player, at £ 350,000 per week.
Piers Morgan, talk show host, went ballistic while hosting Good Morning Britain, saying: “Shame on you Mesut Ozil. Shame on you. Some of the younger players, who are on far less money than you, are taking a 12.5 per cent pay cut, a minuscule drop in the ocean for you, and you don’t want to do it because you want to see how the financial situation plays out while you are sitting on your backside on your Playstation every night rather than actually playing football. Really?”
But some fans are coming to Ozil’s rescue:
One tweeted: “Mesut Ozil contributes massively to charities and local businesses around the world…he’s a world class footballer who is always the scapegoat. Hospitals, charities and young disadvantaged children all benefit from Ozil’s contributions. Get off your high horse Piers.”
Another fan said: “Mesut Ozil is a man who has given MILLIONS to different charities & is a force for good – yet an easy target.
“I’ll wait before judging & I’m not even a Gooner.”
A fellow Gooner wrote: “People who are saying ‘OMG Mesut Ozil has refused to cut his wage when he is earning 300k a week he’s such a bad person’ well don’t forget how much money he’s donated to charities. He was even helping people in the middle east refugee camps on his wedding day.”