Kevin-Prince Boateng has had a nomadic career.
The 29-year-old has played for seven clubs, and has represented two countries at international level. He played underage football for his native Germany, before switching allegiances to Ghana in time for the 2010 World Cup.
The then-Portsmouth midfielder starred for Ghana in South Africa, as they reached the World Cup quarter-finals, before being knocked out by Uruguay in a penalty shoot-out. He also played for Ghana in Brazil in 2014, before being sent home before the team were eliminated. He has not played for the country since.
In an excellent interview with The Guardian, the Las Palmas midfielder admitted that during the 2010 World Cup he was put in an unusual situation by former South African president Nelson Mandela.
Can't believe it....😥😥ðŸ™ðŸ™ R.I.P Nelson Mandela #inspiration #fighter pic.twitter.com/Ll9LVLlla4
— Kevin-Prince Boateng (@KPBofficial) December 6, 2013
"There were three people I always wanted to meet: Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali and Nelson Mandela", he revealed. "I only met one, and it’s hard to describe. It’s just joy. Mandela was in prison for 27 years just because he stood up for his rights and he sits there and has no anger inside. He should be angry with the whole world, but he wasn’t. He’s calm, just there in his little seat saying hello to everybody. He makes you feel calm. He was shining. It’s like a movie. It’s like an angel sitting there.
"He shook my hand, pulled me towards him and said: 'My daughter wants to marry you.' I said: 'Sorry I already have a girlfriend.' He said: 'No, no but I have others, more beautiful.' Everyone was laughing. The pity is we couldn’t take pictures because the flash hurt his eyes so I only have one.
"And it doesn’t even look like me", the former AC Milan midfielder added.
Boateng has played 16 times this season for Las Palmas scoring six goals in La Liga. The Gran Canaria side are currently in eleventh place in the Spanish top-tier.
He may not have married one of Nelson Mandela's three daughters, but Boateng married last year to his second wife.
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