Arsenal’s German midfielder has given away his World Cup winnings to 23 young people’s surgeries as “a personal thank-you for the hospitality” After helping Germany lift the World Cup midfielder Mesut Özil has captured the hearts of Brazilian youngsters, after revealing he has donated around £350,000 of his personal winnings to 23 children’s surgeries in the South American country. The Arsenal playmaker, 25, confirmed the news on his Facebook page, and wrote: “Prior to the ‪#‎WorldCup I supported the surgery of eleven sick children. Since the victory of the #WorldCup is not only due to eleven players but to our whole team, I will now raise the number to 23. This is my personal thank-you for the hospitality of the people of Brazil. ‪#‎Bigshoe ‪#‎Brasil2014.”

As far as I know, Mesut is a Muslim. We would like to hear about similar stories from Christian sport stars. Please send that to Dr Sas Conradie at [email protected].