Per Mertesacker

Per Mertesacker is a German footballer who plays as a defender for Arsenal and the German national football team. Mertesacker is a youth product of Hannover 96 and he made his senior league debut in November 2003. 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. 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. With Werder Bremen, Mertesacker has won a DFB-Pokal title and finished runner-up in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. 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. During the 2009- 10 season, he played 33 Bundesliga matches in total, scoring five goals in the process. In the 2010–11 season, Mertesacker made 30 Bundesliga appearances, scoring two goals. On 31 August 2011, Mertesacker signed on with Arsenal on a four-year contract. Mertesacker made his UEFA Champions League debut for Arsenal away against Borussia Dortmund, playing the full 90 minutes. He has won more than 75 international caps playing for Germany. He has also participated in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups and UEFA Euro 2008.