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Mesut Ozil has labelled Germany and Arsenal colleague Per Mertesacker a “role model” for both himself and the rest of the Arsenal squad.
Club vice-captain Mertesacker has established himself as one of the leaders of Arsene Wenger’s side both on and off the pitch, famously rollicking the Gunners’ record signing in 2013 for not applauding travelling fans.
Mertesacker came to the defence of his teammate earlier this week, criticising German fans who do not see enough of the playmaker to judge his performances at Arsenal. And now Ozil has emphasised how much he looks up to the 30-year-old centre-back.
“I always see Per as a role model,” Ozil told the club website. “He always gives everything for the team, you can see that he’s determined and wants to be successful. You can sense that on the pitch.
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“He’s very focused, very professional. He does his job 100 per cent - he’s not the sort of person who does things by half measures.
“He’s rather the sort of person who, if he has something in his head, wants to see it through. He looks after himself and his diet, and before matches he does his exercises to make sure that he stays fit and doesn’t pick up any injuries.
“You can see on the pitch that he’s fresh and is always there for everyone.We’re just really pleased to have him and you can sense on the pitch that he gives everything for the team.”
