LifeBogger presents the Full Story of a Gunners Football Legend best known by the Nickname; “The Big Friendly Giant”.

Our version of Per Mertesacker’s Biography, including his Childhood Story, brings you a full account of notable events from his boyhood days. We then tell you how the 6 foot 6 inches Legendary defender (who once played alongside Mikel Arteta) became famous.

The analysis of the Arsenal Defensive Legend involves explaining his life story before fame, family life and many off-pitch little-known facts about him.

Yes, everyone knows about his defensive abilities, but few consider our version of Per Mertesacker’s Biography, which is quite interesting. Now, without further ado, let’s begin.

Per Mertesacker Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:

For Biography starters, Per Mertesacker was born on the 29th day of September 1984 in Hanover, German.

Per was born and raised a Protestant Christian and was the only child of his mother, Bärbel Mertesacker (School Secretary) and father, Stefan Mertesacker (Amateur football coach).

Per loved two things as a little boy. Riding his bicycle and playing football. Below is little Per riding his lovely bicycle during his childhood days.

He was also the typical type of child who would wear adult shoes, with that of his dad being worn most time. Per showed the typical characteristics of the last born, only child and only son of his parents.

Per Mertesacker Biography – Career in Summary:

To start with, Per, a native of Hanover, started out at the local club Hannover 96, where he played under his father, Stefan, who was one of the youth coaches.

Despite his father’s influence, Per didn’t take football seriously. In fact, he was not seen as an exceptional player during his childhood time and, at some point, he thought about changing sports.

His unfortunate start to his career at Hannover took to the worst when he once broke his nose and conceded an own goal at the same time.

This was when he decided to give football a break. After one last motivation from his coaching dad, Per went back to give football a last try. This time, things went well.

Per went on to establish himself as one of the most promising young defenders in his youth club Hannover 96. He grew up in the club’s youth ranks and was appointed captain at age 11.

This was a time the slender Per Mertesacker began growing excessively tall. He was soon dubbed “the Defence Pole” by all German tabloids simply because of his height.

At 19, he started playing in the German League with Hannover 96. Per’s first 31 Bundesliga matches ended without a single yellow card, earning him another nickname, “Mr Clean”.

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 third.

After the departure of Cesc Fabregas and after their 8-2 loss to United, Arsenal confirmed they had signed Mertesacker on a four-year contract. The rest, as they say, is now history.

Ulrike Stange Per Mertesacker Love Story:

Per Mertesacker love story surrounds only one woman. No other than German handball player, Ulrike Stange, who is five months older than Per.

Mertesacker has been happily in love with his now-wife Ulrike Stange – since the summer of 2008. They dated for five years before they got married on June 22, 2013. It was a secret wedding that had just family and close friends invited.

Per appreciates her for being the only one that has fallen in love with his flaws. The one that supports him during his hardest moments.

Below is a height difference between Per Mertesacker and his wife, Ulrike Stange.

Ulrike and Per are the proud parents of two adorable children pictured below. His son’s name is Paul.

Away from the glitz and glamour of life as a professional footballer, it’s very obvious what makes Mertesacker happiest: his family.

“It’s almost everything,” he says, “ I think it’s the most important thing. It keeps you really grounded, and it’s the base of everything.

I really love having a good and healthy family. That’s all I need to perform well on a football pitch. As long as my family is happy and healthy, I’m happy as well.” 

Speaking about his role as a father and what he wants for his children, Mertesacker’s philosophy is simple: to take each day as it comes and not to judge himself too harshly.

He also believes that raising his children in the UK will be rewarding for them, as they will have the benefit of being bilingual.

As Per puts it…“Having your own kids — that was a huge step for me,” he says. “It changes my life a lot.”…

“I want to be a good father and try to implement a lot of what I have learned; what I’m good at; where I’ve got my strengths, to bring them up as good as I can. 

To bring them up with two languages – hopefully, it will be very helpful for them.” 

Per Mertesacker Family Life:

Starting off, Per comes from an upper-middle-class family background before his football investment paid off. His father, Stefan, was born on the 25 of July 1951.

Stefan Mertesacker is a youth football coach and functionary. He is the longtime director of the amateur football section of Hannover 96. He is a legend in their football amateur department.

Per Mertesacker’s Mother:

Bärbel Mertesacker is the mother of Per. She is a school secretary who can be reached at any time the telephone number: (05101)-1001-612.

Barbel, the mother of Per, was someone who once drew her only so close to her heart, limiting him from being so professional at the early stages of his football career.

When recently interviewed, she said...

“Per did not complete the typical career of a young professional because of me. I didn’t allow my only child to go to a football boarding school.

We did not want him to stay far away from us until he was 14,” says Bärbel Mertesacker.

Since Per Mertesacker grew up and distanced himself away from home, His mother, Barbel, developed the habit of spending time with her school kids.

Personal Life:

Mertesacker has the following attributes to his personality.

Per’s Strengths: Cooperative, diplomatic, gracious, fair-minded and very social only to his wife and kids.

Mertesacker’s Weaknesses: Per could be indecisive, avoids confrontations, will carry a grudge and have some self-pity within him.

What Per likes: He loves harmony, gentleness, sharing with others, and outdoors. What Per dislikes: Violence, injustice, loudmouths, conformity.

In summary, Per is peaceful, fair, and hates being alone. Partnership is very important for him and in him holds a constant chase for justice and equality.

Per has realized through life that the only thing that should be truly important is his own inner core of personality.

Per Mertesacker Height Facts:

The average question in the mind of his fans is; How does the 6’ 6” footballer deal with his height? As revealed in the picture, Peter Crouch is 1 cm taller than Per.

Per is the same height as As Per puts it, “My height is sometimes a problem. When people see me, they look at my height and recognise me.

But in London, it’s very calm, and I can just enjoy being out; sometimes it’s a bit hard to understand why people want to take pictures of me.

Per Mertesacker Biography – 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. 

He often uses his strength to shrug opponents off the ball and his standing tackling ability to win balls. His aerial abilities is very commanding.

Question marks have been raised about his speed, but he compensates for his lack of pace with his excellent positional plays.

Despite his strength and power, we regard him as a clean player. Referees hardly book him.

Mertesacker is a good defensive organizer and a neat distributor of the ball. In the 2012–13 season with Arsenal, he averaged 50.1 passes per game with a 91.5% success rate, the fourth-highest in the league. 

Often, Mertesacker is paired with a more mobile and faster defender who can track back in a counterattack situation, such as Mats Hummels and Laurent Koscielny.

Per Mertesacker Biography – The Per Mertesacker Foundation:

In November 2006, Mertesacker created the “Per Mertesacker Foundation”, initially to support the family of his former Hannover and Germany late teammate Robert Enke, which is targeted at those suffering from depression.

T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing the words “Big F***ing German” – the Arsenal fans chant for him – are among the items sold to raise money for the foundation.

Appreciation Note:

Thanks for reading our Per Mertesacker Biography and Childhood Story.

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