Mesut Ozil has joined a group of Chelsea stars led by Antonio Rudiger in a project to send 60,000 face masks to Sierra Leone to help in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
Rudiger’s family stem from Sierra Leone but fled that country in 1991 to Germany as refugees following the civil war.
The Germany international will be joined by N’Golo Kante, Olivier Giroud and Callum Hudson-Odio in donating to local charity groups Madam Wokie and Lunchbox Gift.
READ: The Secret Life Of Arsenal Star Mesut Ozil
Each player involved offered $5000 with the donations being matched by the European Union who are also supporting the initiative.
Rudiger revealed the details of the project on his official Twitter account and thanked his teammates as well as Ozil.
I am pleased to announce that my Foundation Antonio Rüdiger For Sierra Leone will be partnering with @madam_wokie and @LunchBoxGift to provide 60,000 face masks to low income market traders in Freetown, Sierra Leone. This will hopefully reduce the spread of Covid19. ????
— Antonio Rüdiger (@ToniRuediger) April 23, 2020
Our target for this campaign is $30.000. I Will pledge $5,000 to kickstart this campaign and Big Thanks to @MesutOzil1088, @nglkante, @Calteck10, @_OlivierGiroud_ for donating an extra $5,000.Please follow the link below to donate too. Keep safe and save lives! Thx u in advance.
— Antonio Rüdiger (@ToniRuediger) April 23, 2020
The playmaker of Turkish origin has come under fire for reportedly being one of just three Arsenal players to reject a 12.5 percent wage cut according to the Daily Mail.
The 31-year-old is the highest-paid player in the Arsenal team earning £350,000 per-week.
Ozil is, however, involved in several charitable projects and initiatives to help impoverished and disabled children.
