Per Mertesacker was asked to pick his all-time XI but could not find room for former Arsenal and Germany teammate Mesut Ozil.
The ex-Arsenal defender, who is now the Gunners' academy director, selected Laurent Koscienly, Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky and Mikel Arteta in a list of the best players he had played alongside during his career, but Ozil had to settle for a place on the bench.
Speaking to FourFourTwo, he explained why he selected Koscielny in the back four. The pair forged a solid partnership during their time at the Emirates, and Mertesacker urged fans to forgive the Frenchman after his acrimonious exit to Bordeaux in the summer.
"We formed the best partnership of my career," he said.
"Laurent complimented my game and I loved our time together. It was sad to see him leave Arsenal the way he did, because he deserved a better legacy.
"All of the fans will soon appreciate him and everything he did for the club, because there are always two sides to a story."
Mertesacker also named Rosicky in his midfield, saying: "A special footballer and a fantastic guy. One of my first games was against him when he was at Borussia Dortmund. He was tough to stop, so I was really glad to have him as a team-mate at Arsenal."
On Cazorla, he added: "One hell of a footballer - in training it was ridiculous! It's sad when a naturally gifted player struggles with injury. Santi didn't look like an athlete and wasn't fast, but he could do everything."
There was special praise reserved for Arteta, with Mertesacker revealing he would love to work with the Spaniard again in the future.
"I was his vice-captain at Arsenal and he trusted me. I was by his side during team meetings and we had a great bond. I’d love to work with him again, a top guy."
Per Mertesacker's XI: Robert Enke, Clemens Fritz, Naldo, Laurent Koscielny, Philipp Lahm, Tomas Rosicky, Michael Ballack, Mikel Arteta, Santi Cazorla, Miroslav Klose, Claudio Pizarro.
Bench: Torsten Frings, Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski.
