Arsenal’s Mustafi: World Cup shirt lift was to honour Marco

As Germany lifted the 2014 World Cup, Arsenal newboy Shkodran Mustafi held aloft a shirt emblazoned with the name of Marco Reus to honour his injured team-mate who had been unable to play a part in the tournament.

Germany beat Argentina thanks to an injury-time goal from Mario Gotze, but up until this week Mustafi had never explained why he held Reus’ jersey during the celebrations.

The Borussia Dortmund attacker was forced to miss the tournament after suffering injury just weeks before and his omission saw Mustafi receive a late call-up from manager Joachim Low.

Mustafi has since gone on to establish himself with the national side, featuring 13 times so far for Germany, while his excellent form for Arsenal since switching from Valencia in a deal worth more than £30m has won him an avalanche of plaudits.

Last weekend Mustafi was handed the man-of-the-match award after Arsenal defeated Burnley 1-0 away from home, but the centre-back revealed the significance Reus’ injury has had on his career to-date.

(Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“I played a game just before the World Cup,” Mustafi said. “I was in the last 27 but I didn’t make the last 23. But then Marco got injured and I got a call to join the team again, so I went to Brazil.

“When you think that you didn’t make the 23 players the first time, you think, ‘OK, I go there now, but my chances of playing aren’t going to be that big’.

“But straight away in the first game, you have to go out on to the pitch and in the second game you play again. Then you play again and again, and end up winning the World Cup.

“When people said to me that Marco was injured and now it was my turn, it always sounded a bit like they had forgotten about Marco because I was in the final 23 players.

“What I didn’t want was to forget him. I think he deserved to be there as well. He’s a fantastic player and that’s why I didn’t want to forget him.”