(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 25 - Mesut Ozil, a 36-year-old footballer of Turkish origin born in Germany who previously played for Real Madrid, has joined Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party. "It is exciting to be a part of a team that has put its reputation on the line with the Turkish Century slogan. Our passion and cause are clear. "Now is the time to work hard!" Ozil told the daily Sabah after being elected to the AKP's central council at the party's congress in Ankara on Sunday. "I am proud to have been chosen for such an honourable and sacred task," said the athlete, who was born in Germany to Turkish parents in 1988 and played for Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen before joining the German national team that won the World Cup in 2014. (ANSA).