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Former Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng has expressed his deep regret at turning down a move to Manchester United in favour of signing for Schalke 04.
Boateng recently announced his decision to retire from professional football and bring an end to a long career which started at Hertha Berlin in 2004.
The 35-year-old went on to play for a number of top clubs in Europe including Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and AC Milan just to name a few.
He amassed over 500 professional appearances, managing 76 goals and 56 assists.
In an interview with Ghana Soccer Net, Boateng admitted that his football journey could have turned out very differently considering he had the opportunity to join United.
He revealed that the Red Devils were keen on his services but he snubbed them. This happened back in 2013 as he was transferring from AC Milan.
Amidst overtures from United, Boateng picked Schalke, but things did not go according to plan. His contract at the Bundesliga club was cancelled just two and a half years after he made the switch.
Schalke cited a “lack of mutual trust” as the reason for parting ways with the player.
The ex-midfielder told Ghana Soccer Net, “I have two regrets.”
“The first is leaving Hertha too early. The second is making the switch from Milan to Schalke at that time.”
He added, “I had the opportunity to switch to Manchester United.”
“I chose Germany – you saw what happened to me at Schalke.”
This is not the first time Boateng has publicly conceded that it was a mistake to reject the 20-time English champions.
Back in 2021, he relayed similar sentiments, while airing how remorseful he was for rebuffing a golden chance to play at Old Trafford.
