Mesut Ozil donates World Cup winnings to pay for 23 sick children to have surgery in Brazil

Mesut Ozil has made the generous gesture of using his World Cup winnings to pay for 23 sick children to have surgery as a 'personal thank you for the hospitality of the people of Brazil'.

The Arsenal midfielder originally paid for 11 before the tournament in Brazil started, but decided to up the tally to 23 in reference to the number of players that formed winners Germany's squad.

Ozil said: 'Prior to the World Cup, I supported the surgery of 11 sick children. Since the victory in the World Cup is not only due to 11 players but to our whole team, I will now raise the number to 23