by Nia Griffiths

When asked about who Mesut Ozil would like to take a picture with, the German surprisingly revealed he’d like a selfie with Angela Merkel.

In a recent interview, the midfield maestro was asked if he could pick anyone, who would he like to have his picture taken with? Most young players would be predicted to pick someone well-known in popular culture – a musician or legendary footballer perhaps. However, the 26-year-old instead picked German politician, Angela Merkel.

“Angela Merkel,” he said. “After the World Cup victory Mrs. Merkel was in the dressing room and every player and coach had a selfie with her – except me. I’ve totally forgotten while celebrating and I regret it very much. I hope I can make up for it at some point.”

In addition to meeting Angela Merkel and having her congratulate him for his World Cup win, he also revealed he heard from a slew of other footballing stars upon receiving his winner’s medal.

“Too many to count,” he admitted. “[The texts] arrived from a lot of old coaches and teammates such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Jose Mourinho. These people are for me not only colleagues but have become friends.”

Ozil also mentioned his love of London’s cultural diversity, something he’s alluded to in the recent past, and recommended his favourite restaurant.

“‘In Likya’, a Turkish restaurant. I am a frequent visitor. I love the diversity in London. The city is “multicultural” in the truest sense.”

The playermaker has now appeared 66 times for his country, scoring 18 goals and assisting an unreal 31. Three of which came against Gibralter in Germany’s 7-0 win on Saturday.

How is he even real?