Boateng wants to help Hertha prove themselves “Berlin’s biggest club”


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Berlin (AFP) – Kevin Prince-Boateng has played for 14 different European clubs but is now back in his hometown of Hertha Berlin and hopes to help them climb the Bundesliga rankings, starting with Saturday’s derby against its rival Union Berlin.

The 34-year-old is in the twilight of a career that has seen him play across Europe, notably for AC Milan and Tottenham, as well as a brief loan spell at Barcelona.

Boateng joined Hertha in a free transfer in June from Italian second-division club Monza, but has only made four league starts so far and has yet to play a full 90 minutes.

The former Ghanaian international hopes to help Hertha restore the balance of power in Berlin after a few difficult seasons since the Union was promoted to the top flight.

“We must be ready for this battle, to enter into every conflict and win that small percent, which will be a game-changer,” he told international media on Wednesday.

German entrepreneur Lars Windhorst injected millions of euros into Hertha, but still without much reward.

“We have so much work to do, we have to show that we are the biggest club in Berlin, which we all dream of,” said Boateng.

But the Union’s Alten Foersterei Stadium is a notoriously difficult place for away teams. It took powerful Bayern Munich to finally end the Union’s 21-game unbeaten streak at home last month.

– ‘Russian mountains’ –

The Union have consistently exceeded their weight since being promoted in 2019, finishing 11th in their first Bundesliga campaign before a seventh-place effort last season qualified them for Europe for just the second time.

They are currently eighth in the table, four points behind 13th Hertha, who narrowly avoided relegation last season.

Hertha have produced extremely erratic results this season, beaten 5-0 by Bayern and 6-0 by RB Leipzig, yet with victories against Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Boateng says Hertha, for whom he made his Bundesliga debut in 2005, needs to tighten up at the back.

“(This season) has been a roller coaster – sometimes we play like an incredible team, so hard to beat,” he said. “The other weeks we have big holes in defense and we are not aggressive.

“We have to stabilize this mentality to know that every weekend is war. If we work on that it will be a positive season for us because we will be a very difficult team to beat. “

Boateng – who prefers to be called “Prince” – says he has become a father figure in Hertha.

“I’m the boss – in a good way. I listen, I talk, I help, I’m the joker, I’m the singer, I do everything, but when I tell you something, you do what I say, ”he smiles.

“My experience helps me a lot. There is so much that I have seen in other clubs and in other countries, I am always happy when I see someone reach a level that they didn’t think they could reach.

– Nurturing influence –

He cites the example of Manuel Locatelli, winner of Euro 2020 with Italy to whom Boateng “gave some advice” when they played together at Serie A club Sassuolo.

“Now he’s at Juventus and is one of the best midfielders because he was smart enough to listen, sacrifice every morning and work hard.”

In Berlin, Boateng took under his wing the young Hertha Marco Richter and Maximilian Mittelstaedt.

“Now they’re starting to believe in themselves, I like it, even though I give them a little kick in the ribs to say ‘Wake up, it’s 9am, we’re going to practice’.

“Just to see these guys grow up, I love it, it’s football. “

Hertha has six games left this year and Boateng says “it is important” to win the derby before a crucial series of games.

“We can have a peaceful Christmas (with good results) and know that you are not coming back to crisis or criticism.”

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