The BFG is a story of resilience, determination and hard work. As well as covering his youth, and his time at Arsenal, the BFG also recalls Mertesacker's time at Hannover, Werder Bremen and of course his part in the 2014 World Cup win.
On the pitch, Mertesacker was a fairly old-school defender - his priority was to win his battles, and make a simple pass. In the book he makes clear that this old-fashioned simplicity is ingrained in his character - part of his upbringing - but it is allied to a willingness to try new things, and be open to innovative ideas and concepts
We tend to think football has changed radically over the last ten or twenty years, but Mertesacker suggests the desire to innovate is limited, and the pace of change is too slow. He struggles to comprehend the lack of curiosity in many of his fellow footballers: “Unfortunately, footballers are used to working a mere three hours a day, while other athletes devote themselves to their profession all day long.” Of the young players for whom he is now responsible, he suggests: “Living such a cloistered life isn’t good for someone’s development.”
All of this makes him a fascinating appointment as the Head of Arsenal’s Academy. You can see why the club gave him the job. He seems to ‘get’ English football, and Arsenal specifically. Reflecting on the build up to the North London derby, he says of the week before the match: “The air carries a specific mood, a kind of electrical tension.” This from a man who scored his first goal for Arsenal against Tottenham, and almost always performed well in the biggest matches.
When he was 15, Per Mertesacker was told that he wasn’t good enough to be a professional footballer. Hard enough news to hear, but the fact that his coach - who also happened to be his father - was in full agreement, must have been tough to take. Five years later, the BFG was a German international. Another ten years on he was the owner of over 100 caps and a World Cup Winner’s medal.
Mertesacker won three FA Cups with Arsenal and played a key role in securing all three trophies - a late goal in the 2014 semi-final against Wigan, a goal in the 2015 final against Aston Villa and a man of the match performance against Chelsea in 2017.
Despite his achievements with Arsenal, and with Germany, Mertesacker is modest and reflective. When he did finally break through to the Hannover 96 youth team, and started to get attention at school, he said: “For me, realising that who you were could so quickly be eclipsed by what you were was a strange experience.” This is a consistent theme of the book - the importance to Mertesacker of staying humble, and not being defined by the fact that he played football for a living.
With Mertesacker joining Edu, Freddie Ljungberg and Steve Bould on the payroll, let’s see if they can pass some of these values on to the next generation of Arsenal players.
Related article: How Freddie Ljungberg drove Arsenal to the double in 2001/02
On the pitch, Mertesacker was a fairly old-school defender - his priority was to win his battles, and make a simple pass. In the book he makes clear that this old-fashioned simplicity is ingrained in his character - part of his upbringing - but it is allied to a willingness to try new things, and be open to innovative ideas and concepts
We tend to think football has changed radically over the last ten or twenty years, but Mertesacker suggests the desire to innovate is limited, and the pace of change is too slow. He struggles to comprehend the lack of curiosity in many of his fellow footballers: “Unfortunately, footballers are used to working a mere three hours a day, while other athletes devote themselves to their profession all day long.” Of the young players for whom he is now responsible, he suggests: “Living such a cloistered life isn’t good for someone’s development.”
All of this makes him a fascinating appointment as the Head of Arsenal’s Academy. You can see why the club gave him the job. He seems to ‘get’ English football, and Arsenal specifically. Reflecting on the build up to the North London derby, he says of the week before the match: “The air carries a specific mood, a kind of electrical tension.” This from a man who scored his first goal for Arsenal against Tottenham, and almost always performed well in the biggest matches.
When he was 15, Per Mertesacker was told that he wasn’t good enough to be a professional footballer. Hard enough news to hear, but the fact that his coach - who also happened to be his father - was in full agreement, must have been tough to take. Five years later, the BFG was a German international. Another ten years on he was the owner of over 100 caps and a World Cup Winner’s medal.
Mertesacker won three FA Cups with Arsenal and played a key role in securing all three trophies - a late goal in the 2014 semi-final against Wigan, a goal in the 2015 final against Aston Villa and a man of the match performance against Chelsea in 2017.
Despite his achievements with Arsenal, and with Germany, Mertesacker is modest and reflective. When he did finally break through to the Hannover 96 youth team, and started to get attention at school, he said: “For me, realising that who you were could so quickly be eclipsed by what you were was a strange experience.” This is a consistent theme of the book - the importance to Mertesacker of staying humble, and not being defined by the fact that he played football for a living.
With Mertesacker joining Edu, Freddie Ljungberg and Steve Bould on the payroll, let’s see if they can pass some of these values on to the next generation of Arsenal players.
Related article: How Freddie Ljungberg drove Arsenal to the double in 2001/02