Mesut Ozil (34), it is not known with what intention or if it was voluntary, he took a photo with his personal trainer, Alper Aksaç, who is making people talk. With the supposed intention of showing the world his impeccable form, the former Arsenal and Real Madrid midfielder shows off abs in the gym.
However, in the image, posted by Aksaç on Instagram, a small gray wolf tattooed on the chest of the former German international can be clearly seen. That wolf is the political symbol of an organization of the Turkish extreme right. The three crescents along with a howling wolf are the symbol of the far-right Turkish ‘Grey Wolves’.
The flag with the three crescents (‘Üç Hilal’) served as a war banner in the Ottoman Empire and today is the logo of the Turkish far-right party MHP (‘Nationalist Movement Party’). The ideology ranges from right-wing extremism to nationalist racism and from antisemitism to Islamism.
Mesut Özil, who has 26.9 million followers on Instagram, is Erdogan’s most popular supporter and the MHP is a close ally of the Turkish president.