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Meet Ghana's very own David 'Black-ham'

The Las Palmas midfielder says it is "amazing" that he was once compared to English icon David Beckham. What they called him was David Black-ham.

He is that figure that has just got everything going: the skills, the controversies with on and off-pitch lifestyles. He loves the cameras too.

But for Ghanaians, the Las Palmas midfielder will be remembered for two things: his impressive displays in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and his controversial stint with the national team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil.

Kevin-Prince Boateng – no matter the opinion one has of him – left his mark on Ghana football. His decision to play for Ghana instead of his country of birth, Germany, got many of the locals very excited. And it was not surprising that a player of his physique and looks got many girls rooting for him and the Black Stars.

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Kevin-Prince Boateng was not just about the looks. He put in good performances for the Black Stars at the time. His goal against the United States of America (USA) in the round of 16 stages at the 2010 World Cup made him of one the most celebrated players in South Africa (where the tournament was hosted).

The former Portsmouth and AC Milan midfielder remembers very well how the local fans in South Africa used to compare him to England legend David Beckham. Tattoos, luxurious cars and a desire for night-outings and being the lady's man meant the pair had a lot of things in common. And ow! there is Melissa Satta who is Boateng's version of Victoria Becham for David Becham.

That is where the name ‘David Black-ham’ originated from. After Ghana’s narrow quarter-final loss to Uruguay in the 2010 World Cup, the team was scheduled to meet freedom fighter Nelson Mandela. And though Boateng was honoured to have met Mandela, he insists the reception by the fans was even more overwhelming.

“It was the World Cup, people were calling me ‘David Black-ham’,” he recalls in an interview with The Guardian, adding that the fans were “going crazy for me” and that he felt “like a star”.

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But little did Boateng know that he was to succeed the Manchester United legend’s dressing room a year later.

After a successful World Cup campaign with Ghana, Boateng secured a move to Italian giants AC Milan. he reveals that the number of stars that he met left him totally stupefied, but points out that he couldn’t describe the feeling when he learnt he would be taking over Beckham’s locker.

“They were all there. I signed the day after Ibrahimovic; Robinho signed too. There was Seedorf, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Gattuso, Ronaldinho, Thiago Silva, Jankulovski, name it,”  Boateng discloses.

“My first day, I was there early doing the tests and saw the names. ‘This is a dream, this is a joke.’ I called my older brother: ‘I’m sitting next to Pirlo.’ ‘Take a picture, take a picture!’ ‘I’ve got David Beckham’s old locker.’ He’s like: ‘You’re lying’. I said: ‘I’ll send a picture."

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The comparisons with Beckham were flattering for Boateng, but one thing he had to deal with was racism. The midfielder was once racially abused when AC Milan played lower division side Pro Patria, which led to him leaving the pitch.

He would later be invited to speak on a United Nations (UN) programme on how to stop racism in sports, something he described as “unbelievable”.

“It was very emotional but I can’t tell you it was only beautiful. Personally, it was unbelievable to get the chance to say what I feel, what I’d seen, what I’d experienced in my life. But I was there for a very, very negative thing [racism], so I was torn. It was difficult to go and speak."

Kevin-Prince Boateng has had his flaws when it comes to issues with the senior national team of Ghana, the Black Stars. However, on the brighter side, the German-born Ghanaian is Ghana's very own David Becham on his good days. Call him David Black-ham!

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