Footie Legend Per Mertesacker, '14 World Cup Winner, Steps on the Pitch Once More for Nostalgic Reunion
Mertesacker takes the field one last time for Hannover's youth team before retirement - Former Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker returns to youth club play.
Ready those boots, because it's time for a football fairy tale! Our beloved Per Mertesacker, the '14 World Cup champ, is all set to suit up for his boyhood team, TSV Pattensen, for a friendly smackdown against Hannover 96 on June 27, 6 PM. The announcement was made with a heartwarming Instagram post by the club, with The New Press first breaking the story.
Hailing from little ol' Hannover, Mertesacker cut his teeth in the sport by joining the ranks of Hannover 96, where he later carved out a professional and national team career. After his stint with Werder and Arsenal, the man's quite taken aback by the chance to play for the club that launched him in the big leagues, saying, "It's an astounding honor to strap on the boots again for the club that welcomed a wide-eyed 4-year-old me." He's also been training with Arsenal's under-16 squad to get himself in tiptop shape.
This launched return, however, won't be a regular occurrence. "A full-time comeback isn't for me," he assured. But don't worry, his passport's still valid with TSV, so maybe he'll pop up for an encore someday.
- Per Mertesacker
- World Cup Winner
- Hannover
- Nostalgic Return
- Football
- Pattensen
- Hannover 96
- One-Time Event
[1][2][3][5] Trivia time! Mertesacker is set to play the 135th anniversary of TSV Pattensen and will grace the pitch for about 30 minutes or so. It's gonna be quite the sentimental celebration for everyone involved!
Per Mertesacker, the World Cup winner, will participate in a vocational training program with Arsenal's under-16 squad to prepare for a nostalgic return on the football field, playing for his boyhood team, TSV Pattensen, against Hannover 96. Despite this being a one-time event, Mertesacker hails from Hannover and cut his teeth in sports, specifically football, by joining Hannover 96.
