Man City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and his Turkish roots ahead of Champions League final
Daily Mail It was the photo that had everyone talking.
It was the photo that had German media and politicians in uproar.
It was the photo that showed the strong, albeit slightly controversial, relationship Ilkay Gundogan - one of the greatest German footballers of this generation - has in celebrating his family's heritage.
It was 2018 and the photo in question had Gundogan and Mesut Ozil - two German-born players who played for the national team but have Turkish roots - pictured next to the polarising head of stateRecep Erdogan in London.
Cenk Tosun joined the pair in meeting the Turkish president during his trip to the UK but the photo, shared by Gundogan, was accompanied by the caption: 'My President'.
This created fury back in Germany, with several politicians and media outlets criticising Gundogan and Ozil for their lack of loyalty to German democratic values, while others interpreted it as a form of political support for Erdogan and his policies ahead of the Turkish general election.
The pair were even booed when playing for the national team in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup.
