Per Mertesacker Quotes

I would always love to be an athlete, but it's got to be a tough day when you have to hang up those cleats.

I love the game and played from 13 to 35 for almost every single day.

I've been a professional rugby player all my life; I don't really know anything different.

I want to play football for 20 more years. And then coach for 45 years after that.

I get paid to play football and show everything I've got.

I had a fantastic career. I loved being a professional athlete.

I started playing from the age of 11-12. I loved the game immediately but started playing the game seriously only in 1993-94.

When I was playing I never wished I was doing anything else. I think being a professional athlete is the finest thing a man can do.

As a child, I wanted to be an athlete, a professional tennis player or something like that.

For me, I've lived a life as an athlete.

I tried the broadcasting thing, the coaching thing, but I'll never replace the competitive feeling of being out on the field when we were players.

I love the game and I wanted to continue playing. It came to a time that I had to stop.

As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.

I was the happiest guy in the world when I was on the ice. You're being paid to play a game! That's pretty special.

First of all, I really never imagined myself being a professional athlete.

I would love to be a player today. I had the right personality for it.

I gave everything I had to basketball. The passion is still there, but the desire to play is not. It was a great ride.

I played professional level sports. When you're playing for money, it's a whole other level.

When I was in high school I was a super serious athlete. I wasn't fun at all.

I loved the game so much that even though our playing field was muddy and we had many trees on it, I used to play many hours every day.

I want to be remembered one day as a great player, good athlete and a good professional.

I'm retiring as a football player from the University of Tennessee who played for the Colts and the Broncos and was very lucky to have played for all of them.

I live to be in these matches.

I've always dreamed of being a professional athlete.

I think as a professional sportsman you're aware that your time is limited.