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Per Mertesacker

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Per Mertesacker
Personal information
Full name Per Mertesacker
Date of birth (1984-09-29) 29 September 1984 (age 39)
Place of birth Hanover, West Germany
Height 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Arsenal
Number 4
Youth career
1988–1995 TSV Pattensen
1995–2003 Hannover 96
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2006 Hannover 96 74 (7)
2006–2011 Werder Bremen 147 (12)
2011– Arsenal 21 (0)
International career‡
Germany U20 2 (0)
2004 Germany U21 3 (0)
2004– Germany 81 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:00, 31 March 2012 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:09, 31 May 2012 (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] He is described as an imposing, reliable, dominant and an accomplished defender.[4]

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 UEFA Euro 2008. In 2006, the defender established the 'Per-Mertesacker-Stiftung', a charitable foundation that helps support amateur sportsmen and the poor.[5][6]

Club career

Hannover 96

Mertesacker, a native of Hanover, started out at local club Hannover 96 where he played under his father Stefan, one of the youth coaches,[7] and made his league debut in November 2003 against 1. FC Köln. But even though his abilities were undisputable, Mertesacker at that time was not seen as a exceptional talent and often thought about changing his sports.[8]

Mertesacker, carried out his civil service during his 'apprenticeship' as a football pro in a center for handicapped people in Hanover.[8] 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 and went 31 Bundesliga games without being booked.

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.[8] He has only been booked twice during his entire career at Hannover.[6] 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.[9]

Werder Bremen

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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13]

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.[14] 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.[15]

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.[16]

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.[15]

Arsenal

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.[17] 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. 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.

International career

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,[18] 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.[19]

At the 2006 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 October 2011, he has won 78 international caps for Germany.[20]

Style of play

At 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in), Mertesacker is commanding in the air but he is also sound in defending on the ground.[21] He often uses his strength to shrug opponents off the ball and his standing tackle ability to win balls.[22] He rarely slides or makes dirty tackles.[23][24] Question marks have been raised about his speed[25][26] and he had been badly exposed in a friendly against Poland.[23][26] He compensates his speed for his excellent positional play.[23] Despite his height he is regarded as a clean player as he is rarely booked.[21] Due to his height and strength, Mertesacker is also a scoring threat in set-pieces.[27]

Also known for his durability, Mertesacker played the entire 90 minutes in all of Germany's seven games at the 2010 FIFA world cup in South Africa.[28]

Despite often being criticized for being not vocal,[6][22][29] he is a good defensive organizer.[30] 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%.[31] 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

Handballer Ulrike Stange is the girlfriend of Per Mertesacker.[32]

In November 2006, Mertesacker created the "Per Mertesacker Foundation". This foundation was created to support the widow of Robert Enke, and is targeted at those suffering from depression. Under this foundation Mertesacker created a football team called "Mertesacker & Friends" who, yearly, played charity matches to help support their cause. The first charity match took place on 9 June 2007 between "Mertesacker & Friends" and the "Pocher Comedian Allstars" in Rudolf Kalweit stadium, in Hanover. In 2008 and 2009 matches were played against a team called "Philipp Lahm & Friends", a team created and chosen by Philipp Lahm. In 2011 they played against "Gastrokicker-Nord".

Career statistics

Club

As of 29 March 2012
Club performance[33] League Cup[33] League Cup[33] Continental[33] Total
League Club Season Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Germany League DFB-Pokal DFB-Ligapokal Europe Total
Bundesliga Hannover 96 2003–04 13 0 1 0 — — 14 0
2004–05 31 2 4 1 — — 35 3
2005–06 30 5 3 0 — — 33 5
Werder Bremen 2006–07 25 2 0 0 0[34][35] 0[34][35] 10 2 35 4
2007–08 32 1 3 0 1[36] 0[36] 9 0 45 1
2008–09 23 2 3 1 — 13 1 39 4
2009–10 33 5 5 0 10 0 48 5
2010–11 29 2 2 0 7 0 38 2
2011–12 4 0 0 0 — 4 0
England League FA Cup Football League Cup Europe Total
Premier League Arsenal 2011–12 21 0 1 0 0 0 5 0 27 0
Totals Germany 220 19 21 2 1 0 49 3 291 24
England 21 0 1 0 0 0 5 0 27 0
Career totals 241 19 22 2 1 0 54 3 318 24

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 15 June 2005 Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany  Australia 2–1 4–3 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
Correct as of 17 September 2010

Honours

Club

Werder Bremen

International

Germany

References

  1. ^ "Persönlich". www.permertesacker.de (in German). Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  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. ^ "Per Mertesacker". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  5. ^ "Startseite" (in German). mertesackerandfriends.de. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  6. ^ a b c "Per Mertesacker". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  7. ^ "Merte: Karriere-Ende bei 96?" (in German). Hannover96.de. 15 November 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  8. ^ a b c "National team player Per Mertesacker". DFB. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  9. ^ "Per Mertesacker Stiftung" (in German). Per Mertesacker Stiftung. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  10. ^ "Summer spree for the Bundesliga". fifa.com. 9 August 2006. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  11. ^ "Das langersehnte Heimspiel" (in German). Hannover96.de. 15 November 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  12. ^ "Mertesacker hit with three-game ban". fifa.com. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  13. ^ "Mertesacker extends Bremen contract". fifa.com. 22 June 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  14. ^ "Werders Nationalspielern drohen bis zu 68 Spiele" (in German). Weser Kurier. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  15. ^ a b "Werder Bremen Squad Archive Summary Bundesliga 2009/10". WhoScored.com. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  16. ^ "Werder Bremen Squad Archive Summary Bundesliga 2010/11". WhoScored.com. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  17. ^ "Per Mertesacker set to join Arsenal". Arsenal. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  18. ^ ""Hannover? Das bedeutet sehr gute Stimmung"" (in German). Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung. 1 September 2009.
  19. ^ "Buoyant Germans glimpse future". fifa.com. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  20. ^ "Perfektes Paar für die Abwehr gesucht" (in German). Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  21. ^ a b "Arsenal seal Mertesacker deal". FIFA.com. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  22. ^ a b 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. {{cite web}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ "Mertesacker keeps the faith". ESPN Soccernet. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  25. ^ "I've had to adapt to Premier League - Per Mertesacker". BBC Sport. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ "Mertesacker agrees Arsenal move, Santos signs". Yahoo! Eurosport. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  28. ^ "17 Per Mertesacker". FIFA.com. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  29. ^ Harris, Chris (15 October 2011). "Wenger - Mertesacker is doing well for us". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  30. ^ "Mertesacker has sorted defence out - Wenger". ESPN.co.uk. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  31. ^ "Werder Bremen". Whoscored.com. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  32. ^ "Ulrike Stange und Per Mertesacker freuen sich auf Nachwuchs". Nordwest Zeitung (in German). 7 Oxtober 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ a b c d "Per Mertesacker". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  34. ^ a b "Spielstatistik SV Werder Bremen - Hamburger SV" (in German). Fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  35. ^ a b "Spielstatistik SV Werder Bremen - FC Bayern München" (in German). Fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  36. ^ a b "Spielstatistik SV Werder Bremen - FC Bayern München" (in German). Fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 3 September 2011.

External links

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