Per Mertesacker

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Per Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker Arsenal vs Sunderland, 18 August 2012, Pre match 7 (cropped).jpg
Mertesacker with Arsenal in 2012.
Personal information
Full name Per Mertesacker
Date of birth (1984-09-29) 29 September 1984 (age 28)
Place of birth Hanover, West Germany
Height 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)[1]
Playing position Centre back
Club information
Current club Arsenal
Number 4
Youth career
1988–1995 TSV Pattensen
1995–2003 Hannover 96
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2003–2004 Hannover 96 II 16 (1)
2003–2006 Hannover 96 74 (7)
2006–2011 Werder Bremen 146 (12)
2011– Arsenal 54 (3)
National team‡
Germany U20 2 (0)
2004 Germany U21 3 (0)
2004– Germany 88 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:17, 14 May 2013 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:47, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Per Mertesacker (German pronunciation: [ˈpeːɐ̯ ˈmɛɐ̯təsʔakɐ]) (born 29 September 1984) is a German footballer who plays as a defender for Arsenal and the German national football team.[2] Mertesacker is a youth product of Hannover 96 and he made his senior league debut in November 2003. Mertesacker was soon dubbed "the Defence Pole" (die Abwehrlatte) by German tabloids and gained a reputation for his good disciplinary record and went 31 Bundesliga games without being booked.[3] Since joining Arsenal, their fans have nicknamed him the BFG, short for 'Big Fucking German', but also alluding to Roald Dahl's the BFG due to his height.[4][5] He is described as an imposing, reliable, dominant and an accomplished defender.[6]

With Werder Bremen, Mertesacker has won a DFB-Pokal title and finished runner-up in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. With his quiet but effective game, he established himself as Germany's first choice centre-back. He has won more than 75 international caps despite his young age. Prior to playing at senior level, he played at under-20 and under-21 level. In September 2004, Jürgen Klinsmann, then-manager of Germany, called Mertesacker up to the 9 October 2004 game against Iran. He made his debut less than two weeks after his twentieth birthday when he came on as a second-half substitute for Christian Wörns. Over the course of his final two seasons at Werder Bremen, the defender received just one yellow card in 63 league matches. He has participated in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups and the UEFA Euros in 2008 and 2012. In 2006, the defender established the 'Per-Mertesacker-Stiftung', a charitable foundation that helps support amateur sportsmen and the poor.[7][8]

Contents

Club career [edit]

Hannover 96 [edit]

Mertesacker, a native of Hanover, started out at local club Hannover 96 where he played under his father Stefan, one of the youth coaches,[9] and made his league debut in November 2003 against 1. FC Köln. But even though his abilities were indisputable, Mertesacker at that time was not seen as an exceptional talent and often thought about changing his sports.[10]

Mertesacker, carried out his alternative civilian service during his 'apprenticeship' as a football pro in a center for handicapped people in Hanover.[10] He had an unlucky start for his home club, breaking his nose and conceding an own goal soon after, but he established himself as one of the most promising young defenders in the Bundesliga. The slender Mertesacker was soon dubbed "the Defence Pole" (die Abwehrlatte) by German tabloids and gained a reputation for his good disciplinary record.

His first 31 Bundesliga matches ended without a single Yellow card for the tall defender, bringing him the praise of sports magazine kicker as 'Mr. Clean' of the Bundesliga.[10] He has only been booked twice during his entire career at Hannover.[8] On 13 May 2006, he played his last game for Hannover 96 and fittingly scored the opening goal in a 2–2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen.

During his time at Hannover 96, he was good friends with the late Robert Enke, and along with Michael Ballack, presented the laurel during the memorial in honour of Enke's death. He later started a temporary account through his foundation (Per Mertesacker Stiftung) to collect donations for Enke's widow.[11]

Werder Bremen [edit]

Mertesacker playing for Werder Bremen.

In August 2006 Mertesacker moved to Werder Bremen in a €5 million transfer deal after a highly impressive performance in the 2006 World Cup, in which Germany finished 3rd.[12] Despite missing the first month and a half through an injury sustained at the World Cup, he quickly made the centre back position his own upon his return to the starting eleven.

In November, he scored his debut Champions League goal in a 1–0 win over Chelsea to end the Premier League winners' unbeaten streak in the season's competition. Upon his first return to the AWD-Arena for the first game of the second half of the season, he refused to celebrate after scoring against his boyhood club.[13] The 2007–08 season was a mixed bag for Mertesacker. He started in nearly all of Bremen's league and European fixtures and received his first red card in his professional career in a 6–3 loss against VfB Stuttgart.[14] Bremen finished runners-up in the league despite winning only two games fewer than champions Bayern Munich but they managed to seal a place in next season's Champions League. At the end of the season, he signed a 2-year extension to his original contract.[15]

After returning from the Euro 2008, Mertesacker again missed the beginning of the new season with a knee injury and through illness. In September, he returned to the starting line-up. He scored the opening goal in the German Cup semifinal away at northern rivals Hamburg to break the deadlock after a goalless first half but the home side equalised, forcing the match into extra time and Bremen eventually triumphed 4–2 on penalties. He was ever present for the rest of the season until injury forced him off in the UEFA Cup semifinal second leg against Bundesliga rivals Hamburg.[16] It was later revealed that he had torn ligaments in his right ankle and required surgery. He was ruled out for the rest of the season, as well as the UEFA Cup final loss against Shakhtar Donetsk and German Cup final which they won. He scored four goals in all competitions, including a crucial equalizer against VfL Wolfsburg.

Mertesacker began the 2009–10 season well with a 5–0 win over FC Union Berlin in the DFB-Pokal, the first game of the season. In October, he scored his first goal of the season in a 2–0 win against Hoffenheim and a last-minute equaliser in the clash against table-toppers Bayer Leverkusen in February. He played 33 Bundesliga matches in total, scoring five goals in the process.[17]

In the 2010–11 season, Mertesacker made 30 Bundesliga appearances, scoring two goals. He averaged 46.3 passes per game, the third highest in the Bremen squad, and the second highest pass success rate, with 82%, showing that his game is not simply about winning headers.[18]

Over the course of his final two seasons at Bremen, the giant defender received just one yellow card in 63 league matches. Most people would expect that a central defender of Mertesacker's size would clumsily concede lots of fouls, but in fact, Mertesacker averaged less than one foul per game.[17]

Arsenal [edit]

2011–12 [edit]

Mertesacker and Arsenal against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League

On 31 August 2011, Arsenal confirmed they had signed Mertesacker on a four-year contract; this was soon after an 8–2 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford.[19] He was presented the number 4 shirt previously worn by former team captain Cesc Fàbregas. Mertesacker made his league debut in a 1–0 home win for Arsenal against Swansea City. He played the full 90 minutes. Mertesacker made his UEFA Champions League debut for Arsenal away against Borussia Dortmund, playing the full 90 minutes.He established himself as a starter after a string of impressive performances and an injury to Thomas Vermaelen. Mertesacker says he has had to improve quickly to adapt to the demands of the Premier League since joining Arsenal. He has been criticised for lacking pace and admits the added physicality is new to him.[20] Mertesacker also stated he has failed to reproduce his form due to the English League lacking the winter break that he was used to having in the German League.[21] He then answered to these criticisms by having a great December and also showing that he had adapted to the demands of the league by putting in good performances against Wigan Athletic and Everton, helping Arsenal to end the month with only three goals conceded in six games. On 11 February 2012, Mertesacker suffered an ankle injury in Arsenal's away game to Sunderland, played on a poor Stadium of Light pitch. James McClean put Sunderland 1–0 up as a direct result of Mertesacker's fall, although Arsenal recovered to win 2–1. Mertesacker needed surgery on the ankle, and was ruled out for the rest of the season.

2012–13 [edit]

Mertesacker on the ball for Arsenal against Sunderland in 2012

Due to an injury to Laurent Koscielny, Mertesacker was paired with Vermaelen at the centre of the Gunners' defence in the early stages of the season. They formed a strong partnership, with Arsenal conceding only one goal in the opening four games, with Mertesacker putting in a particularly impressive performance in a 2–0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield. He excelled again against Manchester City in a game in which he made seven interceptions and helped Arsenal win a point at the defending title winner's home stadium in a man of the match winning display. The German international was ruled out of Arsenal's next two games against Chelsea and defending Greek champions Olympiacos in the Champion's League with a virus.[22] Mertesacker recovered in time to start and play the whole 90 minutes at Upton Park in a 3–1 away derby victory over West Ham on 6 October. On 17 November, he scored his first goal for Arsenal in a 5–2 win against North London rivals Tottenham.[23] On 26 January, Mertesacker captained the side for the first time in the FA Cup fourth round, at Brighton & Hove Albion, which Arsenal won 3–2.[24] He scored his second goal for Arsenal again against Tottenham, this time in a 2–1 defeat.[25] On 6 April, Mertesacker received his first red card in Arsenal colours after a professional foul on Shane Long in the penalty area. However, Arsenal won the match by 2–1.[26]

International career [edit]

In September 2004, Jürgen Klinsmann, then-manager of Germany, called Mertesacker up to the 9 October 2004 game against Iran. He made his debut less than two weeks after his twentieth birthday when he came on as a second-half substitute for Christian Wörns.

With his quiet but effective game, he established himself as Germany's first choice centre-back,[27] pairing up with Robert Huth, Christoph Metzelder, and later, Heiko Westermann. At the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted at home, he played the full 90 minutes in all five games and scored a goal in the group stages as Germany won third place.[28]

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup on home soil, Mertesacker paired with Metzelder in central defence. After Germany won the quarter-final penalty shoot-out against Argentina, Mertesacker was attacked by Argentine Leandro Cufré, an unused substitute. He suffered minor injuries to his thigh and a kick to the groin. After Germany's loss to Italy in the semifinals, Mertesacker had surgery on one of his legs and left testicle (not related to the attack above, but an injury he had been dealing with during previous matches) and missed the third place play-off. Nevertheless, his good showing did earn him a transfer to Bundesliga giants Werder Bremen after the tournament.

He was first choice when fit during Euro 2008 and was ever present in the final tournament. Due to injury problems at the beginning of the 2009–10 season, he missed several 2010 World Cup qualifiers but has retained his place as first choice since then. Mertesacker regularly wears the number 17 jersey. As of September 2012, he has won 82 international caps for Germany.[29]

Mertesacker scored his second international goal for Germany on 17 October 2012.[30]

Style of play [edit]

At 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in), Mertesacker is commanding in the air but he is also sound in defending on the ground.[31] He often uses his strength to shrug opponents off the ball and his standing tackle ability to win balls.[32] He rarely slides or makes dirty tackles.[33][34] Question marks have been raised about his speed[35][36] and he had been badly exposed in a friendly against Poland.[33][36] He compensates for his lack of speed by his excellent positional play and anticipation.[33] Despite his height he is regarded as a clean player as he is rarely booked.[31] Due to his height and strength, Mertesacker is also a scoring threat in set-pieces.[37]

Mertesacker is also known for his stamina and usually plays the entire 90 minutes of a match. He played the entire 90 minutes in all of Germany's seven games at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.[38]

Despite often being criticized for not being vocal,[8][32][39] he is a good defensive organizer.[40] Mertesacker is also a neat distributor of the ball. He averaged 46.3 passes per game in 2010–2011 season, the third highest in the Bremen squad, and the second highest pass success rate, with 82%.[41] Often Mertesacker is paired with a more mobile and faster defender who can track-back in counter attack situation like Mats Hummels, Arne Friedrich and more recently Laurent Koscielny, though he had successfully formed one of the best defensive pairing in Bundesliga with the equally sized Naldo during his time at Werder Bremen.

Personal life [edit]

Mertesacker's partner is German international handballer Ulrike Stange and they have a son Paul (born April 2011).[32][42]

In November 2006, Mertesacker created the "Per Mertesacker Foundation", initially to support the family of his former Hannover and Germany teammate Robert Enke, and is targeted at those suffering from depression. Since 2007 the foundation has organised yearly charity football matches which has featured Mertesacker's national and club teammates Philipp Lahm, Lukas Podolski and Tomáš Rosický as well as comedian Oliver Pocher, Fury in the Slaughterhouse member Rainer Schumann and German ice hockey legend Uwe Krupp.

Career statistics [edit]

Club career statistics [edit]

As of 4 May 2013
Club performance[43] League Cup[43] League Cup[43] Continental[43] Other Total
Club League Season Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Germany League DFB-Pokal DFB-Ligapokal Europe Other Total
Hannover 96 Bundesliga 2003–04 13 0 1 0 — — — 14 0
2004–05 31 2 4 1 — — 35 3
2005–06 30 5 3 0 — — 33 5
Totals 74 7 8 1 0 0 0 0 — 82 8
Werder Bremen 2006–07 25 2 0 0 0[44][45] 0[44][45] 10 2 — 35 4
2007–08 32 1 3 0 1[46] 0[46] 9 0 45 1
2008–09 23 2 3 1 — 13 1 — 39 4
2009–10 33 5 5 0 10 0 1 1 49 6
2010–11 29 2 2 0 7 0 — 38 2
2011–12 4 0 0 0 — — 4 0
Totals 146 12 13 1 1 0 49 3 1 1 210 17
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Arsenal Premier League 2011–12 21 0 1 0 0 0 5 0 — 27 0
2012–13 33 3 3 0 1 0 6 0 — 43 3
Totals 54 3 4 0 1 0 11 0 0 0 70 3
Totals Germany 220 19 21 2 1 0 49 3 1 1 292 25
England 54 3 4 0 1 0 11 0 0 0 70 3
Career totals 274 22 25 2 2 0 60 3 1 1 362 28

International goals [edit]

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 15 June 2005 Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany  Australia 2–1 4–3 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
2. 16 October 2012 Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany  Sweden 3–0 4–4 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier

Honours [edit]

Club [edit]

Werder Bremen
Runner-up: 2007–08
Winner: 2008–09
Runner-up: 2009–10
Winner: 2006
Runner-up: 2008–09

International [edit]

Germany
Third Place: 2006, 2010
Runner-up: 2008
Third Place: 2005

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Player Profile: Per Mertesacker". Premier League. Retrieved 31 January 2012. 
  2. ^ ""Merte": Geschichte schreiben" (in German). Hannover96.de. 9 May 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  3. ^ "Find out more about... Per Mertesacker". Arsenal.com. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011. 
  4. ^ "Arsenal Fans Singing Weve Got A Big Fucking German". YouTube. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013. 
  5. ^ "We’ve Got a Big Fucking Leader!". chapmansgoal.wordpress.com. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013. 
  6. ^ "Per Mertesacker". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 28 October 2011. 
  7. ^ "Startseite" (in German). mertesackerandfriends.de. Retrieved 25 October 2011. 
  8. ^ a b c "Per Mertesacker". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 25 October 2011. 
  9. ^ "Merte: Karriere-Ende bei 96?" (in German). Hannover96.de. 15 November 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  10. ^ a b c "National team player Per Mertesacker". DFB. Retrieved 25 October 2011. 
  11. ^ "Per Mertesacker Stiftung" (in German). Per Mertesacker Stiftung. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  12. ^ "Summer spree for the Bundesliga". fifa.com. 9 August 2006. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  13. ^ "Das langersehnte Heimspiel" (in German). Hannover96.de. 15 November 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  14. ^ "Mertesacker hit with three-game ban". fifa.com. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  15. ^ "Mertesacker extends Bremen contract". fifa.com. 22 June 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  16. ^ "Werders Nationalspielern drohen bis zu 68 Spiele" (in German). Weser Kurier. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  17. ^ a b "Werder Bremen Squad Archive Summary Bundesliga 2009/10". WhoScored.com. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  18. ^ "Werder Bremen Squad Archive Summary Bundesliga 2010/11". WhoScored.com. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  19. ^ "Per Mertesacker set to join Arsenal". Arsenal. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2011. 
  20. ^ "I've had to adapt to Premier League – Per Mertesacker". BBC Sport. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2012. 
  21. ^ "Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker blames poor form on lack of Premier League winter break". Goal.com. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012. 
  22. ^ "Fresh handshake snub! Wenger bans them after virus at Arsenal training". Daily Mail. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2012. 
  23. ^ Ornstein, David (17 November 2012). "Arsenal 5–2 Tottenham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 November 2012. 
  24. ^ Veysey, Wayne (26 January 2013). "Wilshere rested, Mertesacker handed Arsenal captaincy". Goal.com. Retrieved 27 January 2013. 
  25. ^ Sanghera, Mandeep (3 March 2013). "Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal". BBC. BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 April 2013. 
  26. ^ Ornstein, David (6 April 2013). "West Brom 1-2 Arsenal". BBC. BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 April 2013. 
  27. ^ "Hannover? Das bedeutet sehr gute Stimmung" (in German). Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung. 1 September 2009. 
  28. ^ "Buoyant Germans glimpse future". fifa.com. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  29. ^ "Perfektes Paar für die Abwehr gesucht" (in German). Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
  30. ^ "Mertesacker scores for Germany". STG. 17 October 2012. 
  31. ^ a b "Arsenal seal Mertesacker deal". FIFA. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011. 
  32. ^ a b c White, Duncan (30 August 2011). "Arsenal's new centre-back Per Mertesacker comes to the aid of his boyhood club in their hour of need". Telegraph. Retrieved 21 October 2011. 
  33. ^ a b c Scott-Elliot, Robin (31 August 2011). "The tall German with a big task: bring order to Gunners' defence". The Independent. Retrieved 21 October 2011. 
  34. ^ "Mertesacker keeps the faith". ESPN Soccernet. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011. 
  35. ^ "I've had to adapt to Premier League – Per Mertesacker". BBC Sport. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011. 
  36. ^ a b "Arsenal fans should be worried following Per Mertesacker’s horror show for Germany against Poland". Goal.com. 7 September 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011. 
  37. ^ "Mertesacker agrees Arsenal move, Santos signs". Yahoo! Eurosport. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011. 
  38. ^ "17 Per Mertesacker". FIFA. Retrieved 25 October 2011. 
  39. ^ Harris, Chris (15 October 2011). "Wenger – Mertesacker is doing well for us". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 25 October 2011. 
  40. ^ "Mertesacker has sorted defence out – Wenger". ESPN.co.uk. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011. 
  41. ^ "Werder Bremen". Whoscored.com. Retrieved 22 October 2011. 
  42. ^ "Ulrike Stange und Per Mertesacker freuen sich auf Nachwuchs". Nordwest Zeitung (in German). 7 October 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  43. ^ a b c d "Per Mertesacker". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 3 September 2011. 
  44. ^ a b "Spielstatistik SV Werder Bremen – Hamburger SV" (in German). Fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 3 September 2011. 
  45. ^ a b "Spielstatistik SV Werder Bremen – FC Bayern München" (in German). Fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 3 September 2011. 
  46. ^ a b "Spielstatistik SV Werder Bremen – FC Bayern München" (in German). Fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 3 September 2011. 

External links [edit]

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