Official Site of Arsenal · Jan 7, 2020
Sokratis | In my own words
You've heard me say it many times before but it's true: I like the zero in the defence.
That's always been the case and it's why I chose to be a centre back, because it's my best position in football. I think I started playing there properly when I was 12 or 13 years old. Nearly 20 years later, I think it was the right decision.
When I was growing up, I studied the Italian style of defending. I'd watch defenders like Paolo Maldini and Fabio Cannavaro. Roberto Ayala was also very good. Then as I got older, I'd look at players like Carles Puyol. Players who won a lot and had a lot of quality, too.
A young Sokratis competes with Germany U-18s' Timo Waslikowski in 2006