Per Mertesacker had an ingenious excuse to avoid joining the army

Per Mertesacker is not only a quality centre-back, he's a world-class excuse maker.

The Arsenal defender opened up about his experiences in the German military in an interview with the Mirror. He confessed that he didn't engage in any fighting, and the reason he gave the army in order to get out of firing any weapons was simply sublime.

I missed military service in Germany. I wrote to them and said I did not want to get in touch with weapons, and also that I could not fit into a tank or a submarine – and it worked.

It seems like a perfectly valid excuse. He is very, very tall. Mertesacker explained that he didn't get away with avoiding serving his country completely. The towering German defender revealed that instead of doing the conventional work one might expect from a soldier, he was stationed in a hospital. Conscription was compulsory in Germany until 2010 which meant that he had to divide his time between training with his club and working with patients.

Instead I did civilian service, I worked in a clinic for patients with mental illness. I would train with my club in the morning and go there in the afternoons. It was like a hospital, where no one recognises you and they might shout or scream at you. But I was never scared.

He added that he thoroughly enjoyed the experience and that it really helped him put things into perspective.

It was very memorable to go from one world to the other. It kept me grounded and humble, coming from this glamorous football world, and would help me to grow as a person. It had a big impact on my life.

Hat-tip to the Mirror