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Cape Town - German Soccer World Cup star Mesut Ozil is donating his SWC 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.
'This is my personal thank you for the hospitality of the people of Brazil.'
Each Germany player received £240,000 for beating Argentina 1-0 after 120 minutes in the final at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
Ozil posted the message on his official Facebook page:
