Although he has had just a few chances to play alongside the Argentine superstar, Boateng has shown his overwhelm by the abilities of his team-mate, Lionel Messi.
Also stating that Lionel Messi is near-unstoppable when he is at his very best, Kevin-Prince Boateng has admitted his strong admiration for “incredible” Barcelona strike partner Lionel Messi.
Since arriving at Camp Nou on loan from Sassuolo at the start of 2019, Boateng has sadly seen his time on the pitch alongside Messi limited to a handful of cameos.
But irrespective, he is in no doubt that La Pulga has no peers when it comes to pure footballing talent.
The well-travelled forward, Kevin-Prince Boateng told Goal and DAZN.
“When you play against [Messi], you see that he is strong. When you play with him every day, you can see how incredible he is.
“If he feels like it, he scores two or three goals. If we fall behind with 1-0, he gets angry, scores three goals and then we go home with an easy win.
“Of course [Messi is a leader]. If you have a player in the team who can decide every game, he is a leader. Lionel does not talk much in the locker room, but when it comes down to it, he talks.
“He is so strong that you have to follow him.”
Kevin-Prince Boateng has never forgotten where he came from, however, and never forgets to remember with pride the time that he took another Barcelona idol to the place where it all began.
“Yes, my friends told me that [I am a role model for them because I got out of Wedding]. Even those with whom I still have contact say today: ‘You have shown that you can make it from the streets to the top.’
“For that, they are still grateful to me today. Many of my buddies now have children and tell them, ‘I used to play in the park with Boateng. So, give it your all, then you get out of here too.’
“The best moment for me was when I brought Ronaldinho to the [little river] Panke in [Berlin] Wedding.
“I was incredibly proud to have brought this legend to my neighbourhood. So I thought: Now I have really made it.”