Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker believes that he and his fellow Germans have a responsibility to teach younger generations following the horrors of World War II.

Nazi Germany dictator Adolf Hitler sanctioned the genocide of Jews between 1941 and 1945, when around six million people were killed.

During Mertesacker's visit to St John's Wood Synagogue in London this week, the 30-year-old claimed that Germans cannot "shy away" from the past.

"We have a responsibility for our history," The Telegraph quotes Mertesacker as saying during a question and answer session. "We - the new generation of Germans - have to show everybody that we are honest, that we do not shy away from it and that we will teach our kids to do things properly."

Mertesacker retired from international football with Germany in August following his nation's World Cup win in Brazil.