A biography for Per Mertesackerhasn’t been written yet.
“I had a totally different upbringing, totally different background, raised in Germany, small town, now I am in London taking care of 180 kids who think they are the one percent who can make it in professional football.”
“I was talented at a young age, but I still had to grow and develop further.”
“I invested a lot in my fitness.”
“I don't see myself coaching because the intensity of that is massive, and the intensity as a manager, for example Arsene Wenger, is even more.”
“Sometimes as a player you have a different view and you can't believe what we did as a defensive unit.”
“Sometimes you need a humbling experience to think about a few things.”
“For almost 15 years, professional football is about yourself: How can I improve? How can I make myself better? Before winning a game was the short-term reward that meant everything. Now, I can look at the bigger picture.”
“You spend some time with kids, you always take something with you.”
“It is an important part of the role of a centre-back to focus on building up the game and initiating moves.”
“It is a lot of fun here in England and at Arsenal.”
“Wenger has won three Premier League titles, which is proof enough of his standing as a manager.”
“Arsenal is one of the top teams in Europe and I have been looking out for Arsenal since I got my first jersey when I was ten or 12.”
“There's always that mental battle, who's going to have that confidence to be on the front foot.”
“No matter how much striking power you have got, you need to have a sense of defensive compactness from everyone.”
“Everyone says I should really savour the last year, play as much as possible, really soak everything in. I'd most like to sit on the bench, or, even better, in the stands.”
“Never tackle, never go down, we've heard it over and over again. You have to try to keep Messi away from the goal and block him with multiple players while being as close to him as possible. He is too quick, too fast, too intense with the ball.”
“We have all the money in the world but do not realise how important the body is. A player on average has a seven year professional career, 10-15 if everything goes right. You have to do everything possible to be at your maximum.”
“Every footballer has his ups and downs.”
“I loved the Olympics.”
“Being in a career and going from highlight to highlight and playing a lot of matches you go through it and think it's normal when you play in front of 60,000 and you almost want to vomit in front of every game.”