He might be in the football wilderness right now but £350 000 a week Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has shown his support for Marcus Rashford’s campaign and is providing free school meals for around 1,400 pupils in the north London area.
Ozil joined forces with Barnet Sunday Football League (BSFL), Stefan Peppert and German Chefs Catering in Knightsbridge to deliver the meals to 12 schools, including Whitings School in Barnet.
“The school wanted to say thank you for his kindness and generosity,” said headteacher Sejal Patel.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing renewed pressure to commit more money for free school meals after the high-profile campaign led by Manchester United forward Rashford.
Although Rashford’s campaign was rejected by Johnson, it continues to gather overwhelming support across the country.
Rashford has used his Twitter feed to highlight communities offering free meals in support of his petition, which has now attracted almost one million signatures in less than two weeks, and threatens to engulf the government in another public relations crisis.
“Those who have rallied around our communities, please continue to do so, you are the real pride of Britain,” Rashford wrote.