Ex-Tottenham, Barcelona and AC Milan cult hero, 36, announces retirement with heartfelt Wembley video

9 months ago 92

FORMER Tottenham, Barcelona and AC Milan cult hero Kevin-Prince Boateng has announced his retirement from football.

The 36-year-old most recently plied his trade for second division German side Hertha Berlin.

Boateng’s most iconic goal came against Arsenal in the 2012 Round of 16 of the Champions League[/caption]

The attacking midfielder announced his retirement on Instagram with a heartfelt video which looked back through his playing career.

Boateng will no doubt be best remembered for his remarkable repertoire of goals – his most iconic coming in the 2012 Champions League round of 16 tie between AC Milan and Arsenal.

The midfielder started his career at Hertha, where he starred as a key member of the team’s youth sides before being snapped up by Tottenham in 2007.

The mercurial midfielder found starts hard to come by at the North London side and was soon shipped out to Borussia Dortund on loan in January 2009.

He then moved to Portsmouth permanently in the 2009 summer window and it was on the south Coast that he first established himself as a key senior player.

He scored the match winning penalty for Portsmouth in the 2010 FA Cup semi-final which brought them to their second FA Cup final in two years – in which they ultimately lost 1-0 to Chelsea.

His Portsmouth success then earned the Ghanaian a move to AC Milan where he would play arguably the best football of his career.

Here, he would be a part of the Milan side that won the 2010-11 Scudetto title.

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After his peak with Milan, Boateng skirted between LaLiga and the Bundesliga before earning a shock move on loan to Barcelona towards the end of his career to play a back-up role for Luis Suarez.

The midfielder also played a key role for his country, Ghana, throughout his career.

Born in Germany, and the brother of Jerome Boateng, he opted to represent his father’s country of Ghana while Jerome played for his mother’s country of Germany.

Boateng was a key member of the iconic 2010 World Cup team that made it to the quarter-finals of the tournament against Uruguay.

Their hopes would ultimately be dashed by a Luis Suarez handball but for a moment the Black Stars look as though they could be the first African team to reach a World Cup final – or even win the whole thing.

Tributes to Boateng’s career poured in on Instagram, with Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric writing: “Congratulations brate on a great career ! ”

Former Arsenal and Chelsea forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang said: “Damn!!! You’re a great bro congratulations on your career and good luck for the rest ”