The more people that write me off, the stronger I get. That's my feeling.

Mesut and I played together at Werder Bremen and Arsenal for so many years. There is no other player that I shared so much time with. We were important for each other.

First and foremost, Wenger saw us as human beings and he had a lot of faith in us, which is why he stood by us.

The main thing for me was that I wanted to be able to decide when my international career would end after 10 years myself.

It is a lot of fun here in England and at Arsenal.

One thing is for sure, I will give everything every time I put on the Arsenal shirt.

Talent is what you make of your situation.

It is not only the skilful players who can make the difference in a game. It is as well players who just try to stick to their qualities and give absolutely everything.

Of course I have an advantage with my size on set pieces.