This World Cup saw various styles of football being executed by some really talented men. Some stars did not live up to their reputations, whilst others outdid theirs. One such who came through in glory was Per Mertesacker, who in my limited opinion has been one of the players of the tournament alongside the likes of Diego Forlan, Lionel Messi (yes, I thought he played great and with a lot of responsibility) and Sergio Ramos.
Per Mertesacker (Germany)
While I had experienced the other aforesaid superstars earlier, I hadn't quite seen much of the Werder Bremen defender in action. He was in the German squad that reached the Euro 2008 finals, however, I cannot recall him from that game. That being said I must admit that it was love at first notice this time around. He's a fantastic defender, who defends clean and effectively. Does not give out any set pieces near the penalty area, wins airballs/goalkicks, and also scores vide useful headers. Just to give one an idea what it must feel like being a striker attacking Mertesacker's defence, here's an image from the Germany-England game where Jermaine Defoe (one of the most prolific English scorers from the past season) finds himself on the wrong side of the tall Bavarian.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
PS : According to the grapevine, Arsenal a preparing to make a 22 Million Pound bid for this talented defender to play for them in the coming season. I pray and hope the deal goes through for its a fact that no striker would wish to run into Mertesacker en route to a goal.
Pictures from here.
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