Arsenal's FA Cup final man-of-match Per Mertesacker: Everyone had written me off

After producing an extraordinary man-of-the-match performance in the FA Cup Final triumph for Arsenal, Per Mertesacker admitted that “everyone had written me off” after spending more than a year without making a start for his club.

The 32-year-old German has suffered a serious knee injury and has also been overlooked by manager Arsene Wenger but was called upon following a defensive crisis which ruled out Laurent Koscielny, Gabriel and Shkodran Mustafi for the final against Chelsea.

“Two weeks ago I was on holiday – I didn’t expect to play,” Mertesacker said. “Everyone trusted me and supported me throughout the season and the manager gave me the opportunity. Our team had three centre backs out and he didn’t go small, he went with the big fella and I wanted to give something back to this club and this team.”

It was an impressive comeback from Mertesacker, who last started a match against Norwich City 392 days ago and has only played 37 minutes of first-team football this season – against Everton in Arsenal’s final Premier League match last weekend.

“I’d almost forgotten and that makes me stronger,” Mertesacker said. “And I could feel the trust of the team and of the coaching staff is vital in those moments when you struggle and when you are out.

“A lot of people forget about that but this team always believed in my qualities even when I was out for a long time, even when I was injured or supposed to be old… It was just the right answer.”

Mertesacker said his selection, nevertheless, and winning the FA Cup was “completely unexpected”. “You always have that small hope because you want to make a contribution on the pitch,” he said.

“You can always say it was a first start of the season and first of being captain, lining up in front of the lads. It was a proud moment. But I went into the game saying to myself 'there is nothing to expect from myself' everyone has written me off already and I went through my normal routine. Fifteen years and how can I forget?

“You know what you have achieved and what you have been through and I have learned a lot and one thing I want to be sure about is this team is very exceptional and trusted myself in a good way and always appreciated my support even when I was not playing.”

Mertesacker paid tribute to Wenger for turning to him. “I haven't played a lot, I just trained, always with the same focus and mentality because in football there are quick changes and he had the mentality next man up no matter how old, no matter how experienced, no matter how others feel about it just trust me and that says a lot about his person,” he said.