Fact Check: Footballer Mesut Ozil’s remarks on being an ‘immigrant’ falsely linked to Ilkay Gundogan
German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said, “When I play well, I am German. When I lose, I am Turkish.”
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 24 Jun 2024 2:13 PM GMT
Claim: German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said when he plays well he is a German but when he loses he is Turkish.
Fact: The claim is false. A similar statement was made by footballer Mesut Ozil, not Gundogan.
Hyderabad: The issue of integration and identity for Turkish migrants in Germany has long been a sensitive topic, especially within the realm of football.
Against this backdrop, a viral poster shared by a Threads user claimed that German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said, “When I play well, I am German. When I lose, I am Turkish.” ( Archive)
The image shows Gundogan in a German jersey sitting on the ground with his head bowed.
The same post can be seen here. ( Archive )
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that this claim is false.
A reverse image search revealed that the image is from a friendly match between France and Germany during the September 2023 international break. Similar images were found on sports websites like Sports Brief and Tribuna. Both reports are about the extent of Gundogan’s back injury and the tentative date by which he can come back to the pitch.
Further, a keyword search of the quote attributed to the footballer led to a report from The Washington Post published in June 2018, about another former German midfielder, Mesut Ozil.
The report was titled, “Mesut Özil: World Cup player says he is ‘a German when we win’ but ‘an immigrant when we lose,’ quits national team.”
The report is about Özil coming under fire for posing for a photo with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which ultimately resulted in him quitting the team.
As someone born and educated in Germany and a practising Muslim born to Turkish parents, Özil said he values both parts of his identity.
“I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,” Özil wrote on Twitter (now X), describing a double standard that led him to hang up his national jersey: “I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don’t.”
Abc News also reported that Ozil has retired from the national team, attributing his decision to experiences of racism and disrespect
We found more reports on Ozil and the statement made by him but could not find any report where Gundogan has made a similar statement.
Hence, the claim is false. A statement made by Ozil is being attributed to Gundogan.
