Schalke exile was the toughest time of my career

Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng has admitted his troubles with German Bundesliga club Schalke 04 was the toughest time of his football career.

The German-born Ghanaian who was suspended after the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil [and still is] for a bust up with the then coach Kwesi Appiah was not registered for Schalke 04 at the beginning of this season despite being under contract with the Bundesliga team.

Boateng reveales he considered ending his playing career as he struggled to find a new club to play for. AC Milan finally gave their former player a chance to train with the senior team to keep up his fitness for the first half of the season.

Prince Boateng then completed a transfer move to the Italian Serie A club for the second half of the seas.

AC Milan player, Kevin-Prince Boateng in an interview with German tabloid Bild explained:

“Of course I considered it [quitting football].

“When you can’t find a new club for whatever reasons, and Schalke, the club you are contracted to, no longer want you, you ask yourself if maybe you should quit and do something else to make you happy. But when you are only 28, it’s too early to leave a sport that you love.

“But peace is something you make after a war, and I never had a war or looked for one. But I am pleased that we can now clear it all up calmly and I wish Schalke all the best.

“It was really hard not to have found a new club for such a long time, and also to have no club wanting to put their faith in me for such a long time. I suffered a lot during this time.

“It was the toughest time of my career because, before then, I had always had the luxury of being part of a club where I was playing and I was one of the most important players in that team. I would ask a lot of questions of myself and wonder what it was that I had done wrong in the two years.”

Kevin Prince Boateng played for AC Milan on Tuesday night in their Coppa Italia game against Alessandria. The Ghanaian played 84 minutes before he was replaced by Juraj Kucka in the 1-0 victory for Milan.