Cold War policy changed both Germany and Turkey

Ozil and the WC trophy

In the 1960's, West Germany went through a period of rapid economic growth that was later known as "Wirtschaftswunder"(economic miracle).  As a result, West Germany suffered a shortage of labour.  The government of West Germany solved the problem by signing treaties with Italy, Greece and Spain to recruit their citizens as "Gastarbeiter" (Guest workers) in Germany. Germany was not interested in bringing Turkish workers to Germany.  

Turkey was an important ally to the United States during the Cold War.  Nicholas Spykman's "Rimland" theory clearly illustrates the importance of Turkey in the geo-political area.  The Turkish Straits has always been an issue to both the Czarist Russia and the Soviet Union because its location with the Black Sea.  And since 1958, the Americans have deployed nuclear missile inside Turkey.  On May, 1960, General Cemal Gürsel led a military coup d'état in Turkey which led to a period of uncertainty in the country.  Suddenly, the political atmosphere changed.  The United States believed that Turkey could benefit economically and create stability if Germany's policy on guest workers extended to them.   So Washington applied pressure to Bonn. 

In 1961, West Germany signed an agreement with Turkey to bring Turkish workers into Germany.  At the beginning, both governments thought those "Gastarbeiter" would only stay for a short time.  A few years later, they were permitted to bring their family to Germany.  This led to dramatic of Turkish population in Germany.  By the 1970's, the largest number of  "Gastarbeiter" was from Turkey.  Today, there are about 3 million Germans of Turkish descents living in Germany.  

As a result of the Cold War and its impact on"Gastarbeiter" policy, the football world also changed because of it.  Many descendants of the Turkish workers in Germany became footballers.  Turkey who had not qualified for World Cup Finals since the 1954 reached the semi-final of the World Cup in 2002.  Their squad included 4 German-born players. For the German national team, German-born Turks also made an impact. Mehmet Scholl is the record-holder of the number Bundesliga title won with 8.  Nuri Sahin was the youngest ever player to play a game and scored a goal in the Bundesliga.  Mesut Ozil was a key player in the German team that the won the WC in Brazil. 

Notable German-born Turkish footballers:
Umit Davala (Turkey),  Ömer Toprak (Turkey) , Mustafa Dogan (Germany),  Ogun Temizkanoglu (Turkey),  Serdar Tasci (Germany),  Hakan Balta (Turkey), Nuri Sahin (Turkey), Yildray Basturk (Turkey), Hamit Altintop (Turkey), Mehmet Scholl (Germany), Mesut Ozil (Germany), Ilhan Mansiz (Turkey),  İlkay Gündoğan (Germany), Halil Altıntop (Turkey)