Per Mertesacker’s reaction to Emirates Cup victory made him a very popular man

Per Mertesacker has taken a page out of Petr Cech's book.

The Arsenal centre-half was the designated captain on Sunday, when the Gunners won the Emirates Cup despite falling to a defeat to Sevilla in the final game. A quirky rule-set meant that the trophy would go to the side who'd scored the most goals over the two-day tournament and thanks to Arsenal's 5-2 victory over Benfica on Saturday, they became champions in spite of the fact that Sevilla actually won both of their games. Teams were awarded a point for each goal scored and the Gunners' six collected over the pair of games resulted in triumph. But Mertesacker wasn't exactly excited by the presentation ceremony. https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/891711257996283904 The German defender was handed the trophy and looked almost bored by the process, as he refused to lift it above his head as though it was a prize that actually meant anything. Teammate Petr Cech did something similar earlier this month, when Arsenal beat Bayern Munich on penalties in the International Champions Cup. Despite the best efforts of the younger members of the squad, Cech simply would not be convinced to celebrate the win. https://twitter.com/JOE_co_uk/status/888326685996834817 It's impossible to tell whether Mertesacker followed Cech's suggestion that players should "lift the big one at the end of the season. Not this one!" or if he was simply too embarrassed to hoist a trophy aloft after suffering a 2-1 defeat. But supporters loved it nonetheless. https://twitter.com/SamWallaceTel/status/891711869936951296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportbible.com%2Ffootball%2Freactions-arsenal-fans-love-what-per-mertesacker-did-after-emirates-cup-win-20170730 https://twitter.com/noblejking001/status/891711284806332418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportbible.com%2Ffootball%2Freactions-arsenal-fans-love-what-per-mertesacker-did-after-emirates-cup-win-20170730 https://twitter.com/TattedGooner/status/891711084029235201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportbible.com%2Ffootball%2Freactions-arsenal-fans-love-what-per-mertesacker-did-after-emirates-cup-win-20170730 https://twitter.com/Trist_Halfie/status/891890595198795776 https://twitter.com/harryfoges/status/891760518532390912 https://twitter.com/OlivierKGooner/status/891725385636950017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportbible.com%2Ffootball%2Freactions-arsenal-fans-love-what-per-mertesacker-did-after-emirates-cup-win-20170730 https://twitter.com/A96oaye/status/891712539456929792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportbible.com%2Ffootball%2Freactions-arsenal-fans-love-what-per-mertesacker-did-after-emirates-cup-win-20170730 https://twitter.com/RAXhakaLaca/status/891710789991747584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportbible.com%2Ffootball%2Freactions-arsenal-fans-love-what-per-mertesacker-did-after-emirates-cup-win-20170730 https://twitter.com/kvng_francis/status/891710755925524480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportbible.com%2Ffootball%2Freactions-arsenal-fans-love-what-per-mertesacker-did-after-emirates-cup-win-20170730 https://twitter.com/pau_joshua/status/891712283868413953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportbible.com%2Ffootball%2Freactions-arsenal-fans-love-what-per-mertesacker-did-after-emirates-cup-win-20170730