Former Ghana star Kevin-Prince Boateng says he is not a ‘finished article’ yet after silencing his critics by playing a vital role in helping Hertha Berlin return to winning ways. The 35-year-old attacking midfielder was influential for Hertha as they claimed a 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Augsburg in the German Bundesliga match at the WWK Arena at the weekend.
There has been growing criticism over Boateng’s lack of first-team action due to recurrent injuries, but the former AC Milan, FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund star was happy to silence his critics.
“I’ve always said: I’ll give it my all and I’ve been training hard for the past few weeks and today I was rewarded. The coach said he needed me and I think I did quite well,” Boateng said on Ghana Soccer Net.
“I don’t look like a player who’s already finished. I’m just happy, there was so much criticism against them, the team and myself as well. The win was just mentally important for us.
“The coach [Felix Magath] came up to me yesterday and asked me, a bit jokingly, where I would like to play. I said I’d like to play in the ten, that’s my favorite position – and then he put me there and said, ‘Do your thing, pull the team along, organise everything. He put me in charge and I think – no, I know – that we did quite well.”
However, Boateng, who was making his first appearance for the first team since March 5, admitted he wasn’t happy after getting substituted in the 68th minute.
“I was a bit sad, but he said it was for next week. So I hope that I can play again then,” the former Tottenham Hotspur and Besiktas player concluded.
Hertha are set to take on Stuttgart in another Bundesliga game on Sunday and Boateng will be hoping to start once again.