From BZ editors
Felix Magath (68) and his prince! Together, the coach and Kevin-Prince Boateng (35) designed the winning plan for the relegation duel in Hamburg. After the rescue, the midfield leader gushed: “He’s a special guy, I’m a special guy. It was clear: either we’ll clash – or we’ll get along really well. We get along really well.”
Magath let Boateng even set up the team for Hamburg. But not every coach knows how to deal with the opinionated, demanding and very self-confident guy Boateng. Here you can find out with which coaches it was crunching – and with whom the cooperation before Magath was also outstanding.
11 games under Jürgen Klopp at BVB. Ratio: Outstanding!
Boateng in an interview: “He’s a great guy and also a great coach. Most of the time you only have one or the other – Klopp simply has both! He knows how to grab you. I don’t know how he does it, but he gets it done. That’s why every team will do everything for him.”
100 games under Massimiliano Allegri at AC Milan. Relationship: Very good!
Boateng once said of the coach: “We had a good time together and he’s grown so much since then. Those results prove he’s a great coach.” The midfield star revealed it was at AC Milan that he really learned tactics and defending under Allegri.
Didn’t work at all: Jens Keller (left) didn’t look enthusiastic when Boateng presented himself to Schalke Photo: casnic
42 games under Jens Keller at Schalke 04. Ratio: Mixed!
Boateng wrote about Keller in his book “I, Prince Boateng”: “His speeches were okay, but mostly consisted of the same seven or eight phrases. He wasn’t a grandmaster of rhetoric and motivation, I experienced a completely different caliber.” And: “In retrospect, he claimed that he had protected me. The truth is I did my job and saved his ass several times in the important games.”
18 games under Roberto Di Matteo at Schalke 04. Ratio: underground!
Boateng experienced a dark time under the 2012 Champions League winner. In the end he was even suspended at Schalke. In his book, Prince writes, “The disappointment with Di Matteo grew quickly – not just for me, but for the whole team. No tension, no aggression, no emotions – he stood on the sidelines and radiated that certain nothing.”
Boateng got on extremely well with Niko Kovac from Berlin in Frankfurt Photo: district photo
36 games under Niko Kovac at Eintracht Frankfurt. Ratio: Outstanding!
Boateng on the new Wolfsburg coach: “We appreciate each other very much. He knows exactly how I tick, how he has to deal with me. He also knows when to intervene and when to pet me. He does that perfectly.”
15 games under Roberto De Zerbi at Sassuolo. Relationship. Outstanding!
Boateng in a Sport1 interview: “One of the best coaches I’ve ever had was Roberto De Zerbi. He has incredible vision and he gave me the freedom I needed. He just said: ‘Please don’t get a red card. When your temper comes, put it down and just play football.’ Not more.”
It seems clear: Boateng needs a coach who knows how to take him, gives him all the freedom – and at the same time has earned the respect of the leader!
