Former Barcelona midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has revealed that he was not entirely truthful during his unveiling at the Catalan club, admitting he felt compelled to praise Lionel Messi in order to fit in after completing his move from Las Palmas, İdman.Biz reports.
Speaking on social media, Boateng said he had always been a supporter of Real Madrid and regarded Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world. However, before his presentation as a Barcelona player in January 2019, he was allegedly advised to describe Barcelona as his favourite club and Messi as the world's top footballer.
"I had to lie at the press conference," Boateng wrote. "When I was at Las Palmas, I was asked who the best player was and I said Ronaldo, and that my favourite team was Real Madrid.
"When I signed for Barcelona, I was told to say that Barca were my favourite team and that Lionel Messi was the best player in the world. Otherwise, you simply could not play there. It had happened to other players before.
"The first question at the press conference was: who is the best player in the world? I said Lionel Messi. I lied."
Boateng spent six months at Barcelona after joining on loan from Italian side Sassuolo. During his short spell at Camp Nou, he made only four appearances and failed to score.
Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to enjoy the revelation, reacting to Boateng's post with four laughing emojis. The exchange quickly attracted attention online, reigniting the long-running debate between supporters of Ronaldo and Messi over which of the two football icons deserves the title of the greatest player of their generation.
