“I could have played for Manchester United for 10 years” - Barcelona forward
Barcelona forward Kevin Prince-Boateng claims he could have played for Manchester United or Real Madrid for a decade had he been more motivated.
The Ghanaian attacker has made three appearances for the Catalans since moving to the Camp Nou on loan from Sassuolo in January.
Boateng has represented a host of big clubs in his career, including Tottenham, Borussia Dortmund, Milan, Schalke and Eintracht Frankfurt, but he has not completed a second season at the same side since 2015.
The 32-year-old is now coming towards the end of his career, but he believes he could have spent have the majority of his playing days at Old Trafford or the Bernabeu.
“Mentality is crucial. I started too late to really think about [my career]. Of course I regret that,” he told Goal.
“As an 18-year-old, I would have needed an agent or a family to push me in the right direction. I would have liked that. But I had to fix everything myself.
“I know very well that I have also failed with my motivation, which has not always been 100 per cent there.
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“If I would have had the absolute will, I would have been a starting XI player at Barcelona or would have played 10 years for Real Madrid or Manchester United.”
Barcelona, who wrapped up the La Liga title at the weekend, have the option to sign Boateng on a permanent basis for £7m this summer.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).