AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has admitted making mistakes during his days at Bundesliga side, Schalke 04, but he insist they were grievous to merit ‘indefinite suspension’.
The Ghanaian international who was sacked from Black Stars camp during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and handed indefinite suspension by the Ghana Football Association received another sacking and indefinite suspension last year.
The 28-year-old was linked with moves to Sporting Lisbon, but disagreement over image rights crumbled the deal.
He was also linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, but he declined to play for a club outside Europe, and he finally landed a return to AC Milan.
He also revealed that he almost hanged his boots.
“Of course, I considered it [quitting football],” Boateng told Sport Bild.
“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,” he admitted.
“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.”
Boateng admitted making mistakes during his time at Schalke O4 but is adamant he was unfairly treated by the club because the couldn’t pinpoint exactly his crime.
“I cannot think of anything so bad to justify throwing me out,” he said. “Of course I made mistakes, [but not such] that a club who had spent €10 million on me would then suspend me.”