Former Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan and Barcelona ace Kevin-Prince Boateng admits that missing out on a move to Premier League giants Manchester United was one of the big ‘regrets’ of his career.
While the Ghana star may be viewed in some quarters as one of modern football’s unfulfilled talents, there were a few fleeting moments in Kevin-Prince Boateng’s career when he would not have looked out of place alongside the very best midfielders on the continent.
Take that spell at AC Milan between 2010 and 2013, for instance.
Boateng was part of the Rossoneri side who won the Serie A title under Max Allegri. He scored the fastest top-flight hat-trick in over a decade. What’s more, he was responsible for one of the Champions League’s most iconic, modern day goals; a truly remarkable strike against Barcelona.
Kevin-Prince Boateng could have joined Manchester United
And, if he could turn back the clock, the now-36-year-old Boateng admits that he would likely have made a different decision when Manchester United came calling, his former Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp not the only one taken aback by the midfielder opting to join Schalke instead (Sky Sports).
“I have two regrets. The first is leaving Hertha (Berlin) too early. The second is making the switch from Milan to Schalke at that time,” Boateng says, via Ghana Soccer Net.
“I had the opportunity to switch to Manchester United. I chose Germany. (And) you saw what happened to me at Schalke.”
Just a year-and-a-half into his stay at the German giants, Boateng saw his contract terminated after being ‘frozen out’, per ESPN.
He would never again scale the heights of his San Siro heyday either, even if a brief return to form at Sassuolo paved the way for a shock loan move to Barcelona in 2019.
The well-travelled Boateng finally announced his retirement after Hertha Berlin were relegated from the Bundesliga last season.
