Mesut Özil recently spoke to the Turkish media about the hardships of his childhood, and why he wants to give back to those who need help.

Earlier this month, Özil signed a contract worth a reported £350,000-per-week with Arsenal. Whilst his money problems are clearly long behind him now, the playmaker’s beginnings weren’t so extravagant.

“I came from nothing,” Özil told Fanatik. “My mother was a cleaner at a school working two shifts from 07:00 to 16:00 in the day and 19:00 to 22:00 in the evening but I never heard her moaning or complaining.

“At times I felt alone. My mother suffered back problems because of her work. She gave everything for us, sacrificed everything just so we could get by. I owe her everything.

“My father meanwhile fought for every penny. He worked in a leather factory, then ran a coffee house, followed by a pool saloon, then he worked at Opel. This was between periods of unemployment. But he always picked himself up and never gave up.

“We struggled a lot as a family but it brought us together, we are still very close.”

Today, Özil is the star of the Arsenal team, and a World Cup winner. Fans at the Emirates sing his name every week, and he’ll head to Russia this summer to defend his title with Germany.

Despite all that, the German says the thing that makes him the happiest is the chance to give back. He plays football because he loves the game, regardless of what he earns from it.

“I do not feel I have changed class or anything like that,” he explained. “I do not feel I have proven myself just because I have more money. I just play the game I love.

“I never thought I would make a living from football when I was playing at the academy. I played because I loved the sport not because I thought it would make me rich.

“And the money I earn I like to use to help my family and those in need, that is what brings me satisfaction.”

We’ve seen Özil’s attempts to help others regularly in recent years. He often meets with children struggling with illnesses, inviting them to games and giving them his match shirts.

After the win over Bournemouth this season, he gave a signed shirt as a birthday present to 12-year-old Charlie, who is suffering from a brain tumour.

After the FA Cup final against Chelsea, before getting carried away with the celebrations, he posted a message of support to Charlie, as well as Hodgkin’s Lymphoma sufferer Brendan:

https://twitter.com/mesutozil1088/status/868560544512561152?lang=en

In 2014, after winning the World Cup, Özil donated his winnings to 23 children’s surgeries in Brazil.

Hopefully Arsenal can lift another trophy at Wembley this weekend, because I’m sure the 29-year-old will once again take the opportunity to give back.