Kevin-Prince Boateng: "I don't know a single player who doesn't have mental health problems"
Kevin-Prince Boateng speaks candidly about racism and depression. The former Ghana international opened up to an Italian outlet.
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From the outside, footballers are seen as spoilt children who have everything they need to thrive and who sometimes indulge in tantrums. Yet for several years now, people have been starting to speak out. Those involved in football are talking about serious psychological problems. Now retired, Kevin-Prince Boateng has broken his silence in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. The former Ghana international (15 caps, 2 goals) did not hold back. "We need to educate, to get inside children's heads. And to protect players. I don't know a single one who doesn't have mental health problems. I went there for a month without going out, just to read. I would come home in tears: my baby had arrived and I couldn't play with him, I was empty," said the midfielder, who has played for Milan and Barça among others.
Kevin-Prince Boateng then continued. "Social media has become a weapon to destroy people. It didn't exist yet when in 2009 Robert Enke, the Hannover goalkeeper, threw himself under a train because of depression. Imagine it today. How did I get through it? The trigger came after relegation with Hertha Berlin, the team of my childhood and of my heart. I had to stop because physically I couldn't go on, I had to be honest". As a reminder, a few weeks ago, Nice player Alexis Beka Beka (22) also tried to take his own life but fortunately the emergency services arrived in time.
The road to recovery
Kevin-Prince Boateng has nevertheless found a way to move forward. "FIFA invited me to Sydney for the Women's World Cup. I walked into the church and started crying: I gave my life to Jesus, I got baptised. It happened to me at 36, and I have never been so happy. I have never felt as good as I did in Sydney. In a few months, I will leave Milan and Europe, which has turned bad. I don't always say it, but I definitely no longer feel at home in Europe. Hatred and envy are growing. In politics, racists are trying to govern, in Germany with the AfD. I see the country where I grew up voting for them and I want to leave. In Australia, I've been asked to help the game grow. What would I say to the person who abused Maignan? That he needs Jesus. Nothing else. I would give him the Bible to read. Each of us grew up differently, with our own experiences. But in the Bible, everything is written, peace and love: racism makes no sense".
Read also: What to remember about Kevin-Prince Boateng's career