Former Ghana midfielder, Kevin-Prince Boateng recounts that at the fledging stage of his career, he received an offer from Arsenal to move to the club.
Kevin-Prince Boateng disclosed that while coming up in the academy of Hertha Berlin he was approached by an agent from Arsenal to switch clubs.
Kevin-Prince said on Rio Ferdinand’s Vibe with Five program that his parents and siblings however objected to the move.
According to him, the rejection by his parents was on the premise that they believed he had more room to grow and that joining a big club like Arsenal would have stalled his career.
“Back in the day when I was 17, I could have joined Arsenal. This guy came to talk to me but my mom and brothers were like no. I stayed in Berlin. I was playing for the German u-18 and this guy came to me that he is an Arsenal scout and that Arsenal were interested but my mom and brothers were like its too early,” he said.
Barely four years after rejecting a move to the red half of North London, Kevin-Prince Boateng joined Tottenham Hotspur which is the white half of North London.
Kevin-Prince Boateng signed a four-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur in July 2007 for a reported £5.4 million. He made only 14 appearances and scored no goal.
Kevin-Prince Boateng believes that he would cost more than twenty times the amount Tottenham paid for him in today’s transfer market.
Like most ex-footballers, Kevin-Prince Boateng is unimpressed about the fluctuating nature of the transfer market.
It is too soft now, back in the day it was too tough. You have to be the best of the best of the best of the best before you will be able to train with the first team. Today, you play one good season, you score 15 goals then you cost 60 million."
He said if such was the case during his heydays, he would have cost 120 million because he was the best player in the World "at his age".
"Like, I would have cost 150 million back in the day because at my age I was the best in Europe. Sorry, I'm not arrogant but that's the truth. They cost too much money and it's too easy right now...At my age, I came from Germany as the biggest player at 20 to Spurs, no chance. I played what, 50 to 60 games in two years at Spurs."
Kevin Prince Boateng in his 19-year football career, played for 14 different clubs and had two different spells at AC Milan and Hertha Belin.
His total transfer fee throughout his career is 44 million euros, with 10.50 million euros as his highest transfer cost.
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Former Ghana midfielder, Kevin-Prince Boateng