Manjeri: Will you dare name your child after your role model or idol? This Malappuram couple did just that! They named their newborn after the Gunners' Mesut Ozil. And guess what happens next! The Arsenal came to this small town in Kerala to acknowledge the couple's love for the club.
Inzamam Ul-Haq and Fida Sanam, the parents of the now-famous little Mehd Ozil, say that they named the boy so player purely because of their love for the Gunners.
Inzamam Ul-Haq says when his wife, Fida Sanam, was in the family way, he had decided that if it was a boy, he would name him Ozil, the German professional footballer who plays for the premier English club Arsenal.
"We had decided if it was a boy, we will name him after some Arsenal player. Ozil was my first priority." His second choice was Mohamed Elneny, the Egyptian footballer, another Arsenal player.
As the news reached the real Arsenal club, they sent their media team to meet the child and parents. They also made a short video of baby Ozil and family titled 'A story of a special young fan from Kerala.'
Inzamam, a civil engineer by profession, says he was a big fan of Ozil, "who uses chances and sees spaces that other players do not see," he said in a video shot by Arsenal's media team.
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The child, born on December 29, 2017 and was named Mehd, which means instructor and Ozil (Genuine) in Turkish.
Inzamam says if his son is interested he will do everything to make him a good football player. He says, as a child, he was interested in sports and loved Arsenal and its red and white jersey. Malappuram in Kerala's northern district, known for an exceptional love for football, is widely regarded as the soccer capital of Kerala.
Now, we all want to know if the real Mesut Ozil is aware of this little fan! Will he come down to God's Own Country? That's what the football fans in the district is waiting for.
(With inputs from PTI)