Per Mertesacker

Talent is what you make of your situation.

— Per Mertesacker

Things can change very fast in football.

— Per Mertesacker

Football has taught me so much.

— Per Mertesacker

Of course I have an advantage with my size on set pieces.

— Per Mertesacker

I invested a lot in my fitness.

— Per Mertesacker

The more people that write me off, the stronger I get.

— Per Mertesacker

The first Premier League season is always tough for anyone.

— Per Mertesacker

In Germany I already know everything, I know every stadium.

— Per Mertesacker

You spend some time with kids, you always take something with you.

— Per Mertesacker

Living in London is very different to living in a little town in Germany.

— Per Mertesacker

I was lucky to get a professional contract. I wasn't that sort of talent that is considered to be a professional player.

— Per Mertesacker

Wenger has won three Premier League titles, which is proof enough of his standing as a manager.

— Per Mertesacker

When you step up as a young talent, you need to challenge the old lads.

— Per Mertesacker

The first time in my career I thought it makes no sense anymore, that I'll retire.

— Per Mertesacker

There are not a lot of German players out there who are successful in a foreign country.

— Per Mertesacker

You know what you have achieved and what you have been through.

— Per Mertesacker

When I played for Hannover I had several offers, also - as I have been told - from Hamburg, Bremen and Bayern.…

— Per Mertesacker

Youngsters need self-esteem, simple targets in life which give energy. In the academy they can be so easily distracted by so many…

— Per Mertesacker

If Messi has the ball, he is fantastic to watch and difficult to stop. You have to double up on him, triple…

— Per Mertesacker

Some days you realise that everything is a burden, both physically and mentally. That it's not about fun, but you have to…

— Per Mertesacker

There are so many people around young kids nowadays it can make it very tough and difficult - people who think they…

— Per Mertesacker

It is an important duty at Arsenal for the experienced players to show the younger ones that there is a chance to…

— Per Mertesacker

I don't see myself coaching because the intensity of that is massive, and the intensity as a manager, for example Arsene Wenger,…

— Per Mertesacker

If you just protect and you have no chances on the break and you miss one chance to kill the game, then…

— Per Mertesacker

Obviously, everyone looks at whether we bring young footballers into the first team, that's one of the goals. But I wouldn't discard…

— Per Mertesacker

I want players to think: 'OK, this has happened now, what is next for me?' That's a very big target because what…

— Per Mertesacker

Even when you are experienced, sometimes mistakes happen.

— Per Mertesacker

It is a lot of fun here in England and at Arsenal.

— Per Mertesacker

As long as you are winning it is a good day.

— Per Mertesacker

I expect myself to perform at that level every single week.

— Per Mertesacker

At Arsenal you are replaceable so quickly as a player, I don't want to stand in someone's way.

— Per Mertesacker

I think it is so beneficial to English and British football when youngsters see different cultures and environments.

— Per Mertesacker

For a national player it is a good thing to get experience playing abroad.

— Per Mertesacker

Sometimes as a player you have a different view and you can't believe what we did as a defensive unit.

— Per Mertesacker

First and foremost, Wenger saw us as human beings and he had a lot of faith in us, which is why he…

— Per Mertesacker

I want to show on the training pitch that I am ready whenever the manager needs me.

— Per Mertesacker

I was talented at a young age, but I still had to grow and develop further.

— Per Mertesacker

One thing is for sure, I will give everything every time I put on the Arsenal shirt.

— Per Mertesacker

The main thing for me was that I wanted to be able to decide when my international career would end after 10…

— Per Mertesacker

My father said, 'You're not going to make it.' That took a lot of pressure from me. I took football like a…

— Per Mertesacker