Arsenal’s academy manager talks about his parents’ influence, Mesut Özil and what he wants from his players
How did you find the experience of writing a book?
It was a good exercise for me to reflect on 30 years within football and different experiences. Because I wasn’t regarded as that talented, I always wanted to find out what did it make within me when people said: ‘You’re not good enough.’ And my upbringing … as my dad sat next to me negotiating a contract and saying: ‘No, no, this is too much’ – he refused to take that money. I was really angry at that time with him but he was sending me messages which were really important moving forward. I look back to those moments and think they had a bigger impact on me than I expected.
Written by Stuart James
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/sep/11/per-mertesacker-interview-arsenal-head-of-academy under the title “Per Mertesacker: ‘I want to make an impact on young people’s lives’”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
