Former Lionel Messi teammate at Barcelona admitted his preference for Cristiano Ronaldo, but had to lie about it
Kevin-Prince Boateng explained that he had to lie out of fear of possible repercussions for siding with the Portuguese star.
When Kevin-Prince Boateng arrived at FC Barcelona in 2019, the world saw a versatile veteran joining a European giant. However, behind the scenes, Boateng was navigating a profound personal contradiction. Since childhood, the midfielder had been an ardent admirer of Real Madrid and, specifically, Cristiano Ronaldo—the player who shaped his understanding of ambition and professional grit.
The Camp Nou Culture Shock
Landing in Catalonia meant entering a universe where the laws of physics and fandom were dictated by one man: Lionel Messi. In Barcelona, Messi was not just the captain; he was an untouchable deity. This hierarchy became apparent to Boateng even before his first press conference.
In a recent soul-baring interview on the podcast Unscripted by Josh Mansour, Boateng revealed that the club’s inner circle gave him a very specific script. The message was surgical: "Messi is the best in the world, and Barça is your only home."
"They told me quite clearly: you have to say Messi is the best, or you won't play," Boateng recalled. Years earlier, while playing for Las Palmas, he had openly declared Ronaldo as his idol. Upon signing for Barça, he was forced to bury those "Madridista" sentiments to ensure his survival in the squad. When the inevitable question arrived during his presentation, Boateng didn't blink—he gave the answer the club demanded.
The "Messi Veto": Power Beyond the Pitch
Perhaps the most shocking revelation from Boateng involves the transfer process itself. According to his account, his loan move from Sassuolo only materialized once it received the "green light" from the Argentine star.
In the high-stakes environment of the Camp Nou, Messi allegedly held a determining vote on reinforcements. Boateng described days of intense anxiety, waiting for the "thumbs up" from the captain. In his eyes, the locker room operated under a simple rule: if the captain approves, you have a contract; if not, the door remains shut.
"He Made Me Want to Quit Football"
Despite his secret devotion to the Portuguese star, training alongside Messi was a transformative experience for Boateng. Speaking to DAZN, he admitted that seeing Messi’s level of play up close triggered a minor existential crisis.
He described a player who performed the "impossible" with zero effort, making seasoned professionals look like amateurs. "For the first time in my career, I felt like a failure as an athlete because what he did didn't follow the rules of logic," Boateng confessed.
The Dark Side of Leadership
However, the Ghanaian international also touched on the "double-edged sword" of Messi’s leadership. In a conversation with Rio Ferdinand on Rio Ferdinand Presents, he explained that Messi followed routines that were vastly different from the rest of the squad, even before high-stakes matches.
Boateng argued that this "special treatment" was a dangerous example for younger players. While Messi could skip certain physical rigors and still decide a game with a hat-trick, the youngsters who tried to mimic his relaxed attitude often ended up with injuries or poor form. Messi was the only one who could "break the rules" because he was the only one who could guarantee the result.
For Boateng, his short stint at Barcelona was a masterclass in the complexities of greatness. He saw a genius who was an undisputed hero, but also a figure of such absolute power that the truth often had to be left at the stadium gates.
