Arsenal star Mesut Ozil has revealed that the Turkish community of North London played a role in helping him settle in.
The Gunners signed Ozil on a club record £42.5 million fee from Real Madrid and despite being a new city the Germany intentional of Turkish origin found himself in familiar settings.
Ozil told Joe: “If I want to buy some stuff for my house like meat or something like that, I know in North London that there are big streets where there are just Turkish people and Turkish markets, so that has always helped me of course.”
Ozil may not have known English on arrival in London but his mother tongue is Turkish and he happened to find himself in the centre of the community which is based in the northern half of the city.
.@MesutOzil1088: I try all sorts. My favourite? Probably Turkish because I grew up eating it often #AskOzil
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) May 27, 2015
The 27-year-old did not have to travel far to get his fix of Turkish food and can often be found frequenting local cafe’s and restaurants having a chat with the locals.
.@MesutOzil1088: I listen to different stuff… mostly a mixture of R&B or Turkish music
#AskOzil— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) May 27, 2015
There are an estimated 500,000 people of Turkish origin predominantly from Northern Cyprus followed by mainland Turkey, Bulgaria and the Balkans.
Arsenal enjoys widespread support from the Turkish community of London and beyond.
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