{"id":106093,"date":"2023-10-03T12:10:58","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T12:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/10\/03\/i-was-compelled-to-say-lionel-messi-was-the-best-player\/"},"modified":"2023-10-03T12:10:58","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T12:10:58","slug":"i-was-compelled-to-say-lionel-messi-was-the-best-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/10\/03\/i-was-compelled-to-say-lionel-messi-was-the-best-player\/","title":{"rendered":"I was compelled to say Lionel Messi was the best player"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/div>\n

Footballer, Kevin-Prince Boateng has revealed he was forced to\u00a0lie that Lionel Messi was the best player in the world to wear the Barcelona jersey.<\/p>\n

The Ghana international said he grew up supporting Real Madrid while playing for boyhood club Hertha Berlin.<\/p>\n

However, Boateng joined Barcelona on loan from US Sassuolo in 2019.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

During his unveiling at Barcelona, the former AC Milan and Tottenham forward claimed he was compelled to say the Catalan club was his favourite team with Messi being the best in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey say who is the best player in the world, you say Messi,\u201d he said, drawing a hilarious reaction from Rio Ferdinand and the crew.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of the biggest lies because I usually say the truth, but this one I had to lie because I wanted to put on the shirt for one time at Camp Nou,\u201d he told FIVE UK.<\/p>\n

Kevin-Prince Boateng said he had no choice at that time because he wanted to play Barcelona.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me you can\u2019t say [the best player is Ronaldo] otherwise you can\u2019t play you. Two years earlier when I was playing for Las Palmas, I said in a press conference that the best player in the world is Ronaldo and best player in the galaxy is Messi\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n

Boateng won the La Liga with the Catalan giants during his loan spell.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n