Firsts, premieres and debuts – even Germany internationals and World Champions started small. How? Where? When Why? Their first coach, their first position, their first goal, their first title – every day over the next week or so, a DFB-Team player will name their top ten personal firsts here on DFB.de. Today is the turn of World Cup winner Per Mertesacker.
My first kit: I can’t remember. The kit that I got before my first friendly match for Hannover was really special for me. It was at SV Ramlingen/Ehlershausen. It was the first time that I got a jersey with my own name on the back. And it had the number 29, as the kitman found out that my birthday was on 29th September.
My first club: It all began at TSV Pattensen. That came about because we lived there. I was relatively big at the time and had skipped an age group – I mostly played with kids one year older than me.
My first coach: It was my father Stefan, who coached me when I was 15. Then it was Toralf Riebe. Training with him was good and I had to battle many injuries at the time. The manager that put me at centre back was the late Waldemar Krause.
My first game: That’s too long ago. It has to have been a game for Pattensen but I don’t know when, who against or how it went. I’ll give myself the benefit of the doubt and say we won.
My first role model: I thought Schalke were good around the time of the Eurofighters, especially Ingo Anderbrügge. Schalke were in Hannover for a friendly match back then and everyone signed autographs. That really sits with you. It’s a reason why I like to take time for the fans myself too.
My first title: I don’t know if I won my first title in football or not. I was hard to beat at table tennis when I was younger. I also played tennis until I was 12. I won a youth athletics meeting once in Harz. It consisted of long jump, running, throwing, high jump, those kinds of things. I was pretty good at it from about eight or nine.
My first trip to a stadium: As a ball boy at Hannover. The lads from the D youth side were used as ball boys for the first team. They would be right in front of us. We were very close to the pitch and it was really exciting.
Firsts, premieres and debuts – even Germany internationals and World Champions started small. How? Where? When Why? Their first coach, their first position, their first goal, their first title – every day over the next week or so, a DFB-Team player will name their top ten personal firsts here on DFB.de. Today is the turn of World Cup winner Per Mertesacker.
My first kit: I can’t remember. The kit that I got before my first friendly match for Hannover was really special for me. It was at SV Ramlingen/Ehlershausen. It was the first time that I got a jersey with my own name on the back. And it had the number 29, as the kitman found out that my birthday was on 29th September.
My first club: It all began at TSV Pattensen. That came about because we lived there. I was relatively big at the time and had skipped an age group – I mostly played with kids one year older than me.
My first coach: It was my father Stefan, who coached me when I was 15. Then it was Toralf Riebe. Training with him was good and I had to battle many injuries at the time. The manager that put me at centre back was the late Waldemar Krause.
My first game: That’s too long ago. It has to have been a game for Pattensen but I don’t know when, who against or how it went. I’ll give myself the benefit of the doubt and say we won.
My first role model: I thought Schalke were good around the time of the Eurofighters, especially Ingo Anderbrügge. Schalke were in Hannover for a friendly match back then and everyone signed autographs. That really sits with you. It’s a reason why I like to take time for the fans myself too.
My first title: I don’t know if I won my first title in football or not. I was hard to beat at table tennis when I was younger. I also played tennis until I was 12. I won a youth athletics meeting once in Harz. It consisted of long jump, running, throwing, high jump, those kinds of things. I was pretty good at it from about eight or nine.
My first trip to a stadium: As a ball boy at Hannover. The lads from the D youth side were used as ball boys for the first team. They would be right in front of us. We were very close to the pitch and it was really exciting.
My first Bundesliga game: It was in Cologne in 2003. The stadium had just been built. We got ready in the old changing rooms and had to run 500 metres through the catacombs into the stadium. I started the game but was subbed off at the break. I was deployed at right back then – for the first and last time.
My first professional goal: I headed in the equaliser in the last minute to make it 1-1 in Dortmund. I scored my first own goal at Schalke in my fourth appearance for Hannover though.
My first international: It was against Iran in 2004. I had played perhaps 25 Bundesliga matches at the time and had somehow made it into the Germany national team. The setting was fantastic; there were 100,000 spectators inside the stadium.
