How big is your longing for another title?
Kevin Prince Boateng: I’ve won a few things, but winning titles has never been that important to me. If you want to win a lot of titles, you have to play for clubs like Real Madrid or FC Barcelona all the time. Unfortunately I didn’t make it. But I have gained experience. I can’t pay in the restaurant with a title. Being recognized as a guy and for your performances on and off the pitch is more important than having 30 trophies in your cupboard and nobody on the street knowing who you are.
As a mayor you will be recognized on the street…
Kevin Prince Boateng: … that’s a standing and that’s important. We have to fight for that. We lost that standing in the Bundesliga. It was brutal and ugly and you had to lock yourself up for a week because you were ashamed. Because we didn’t call the performance because they were much better that day. You have to admit that, but it will never happen again. We want to be able to say with a big heart: ‘Now we’ve shown them and it’s our city again.’
Does that mean that Berlin’s number one is currently Union?
Kevin Prince Boateng: No, they won’t be either when they become champions. Hertha BSC is the biggest club in Berlin and a big club in Germany. Very easily.
Since Union’s promotion in 2019, the club has collected 24 more points in the Bundesliga and is now ahead of Hertha in the table. Why don’t you acknowledge that Union is currently number one in town?
Kevin Prince Boateng: Because that’s only for a short period of time. Hertha has been in the Bundesliga for years and is a seasoned team. Okay, we went down once, but got back up straight away. Not everyone can do that either. Union have just come up and you have to acknowledge that they are doing everything well. They play good, aggressive football, have good publicity and the fans support them. But they haven’t experienced any negative series that make fans turn their backs on them.
The fact that Union has made it into the Bundesliga is great for the city. But Hertha is much bigger, has been in business for much longer. Let’s add up the points that Hertha and Union have each scored in total in the Bundesliga. That’s a huge difference. There is only one number one in Berlin – and we know that.
How do you rate Hertha’s development since Union has been playing in the Bundesliga?
Kevin Prince Boateng: First of all, a big compliment to everyone who recognized that they made mistakes and went too far. An investor came with a lot of money and they said: Hertha has to play the Champions League! However, this is not that easy. It takes time, patience and the right people.
You can tell that something is growing at Hertha and that big names are not simply brought in. It has to grow from within and that starts slowly. That’s why it fluctuates like in a relationship. You build that up slowly, you argue one day, another day you’re on cloud nine. We were on cloud nine against Dortmund and have shown what we can be when everything works from A to Z. If everything doesn’t work from A to D, you lose at home against Cologne.
The club needs time without hitting it hard or praising it too much. That’s why I’m here, to calm things down. We need cohesion and that is growing together here. Every day more.
Let’s come to 1. FC Union – what makes the Köpenicker so strong?
Kevin Prince Boateng: Euphoria! If things don’t go well, you can absorb a lot with euphoria. With good results, with players like Taiwo Awoniyi, who scores well when the defense falls asleep.
You have a good balance between euphoria, hype and familiarity. You can tell they’re all cool with each other and laugh a lot together. That’s a good mix. But they haven’t experienced a negative series yet and at some point the big lock will also break. And then you have to rebuild. That happens at every club. They have to be commended, they just do it well – we’re still number one. That will never change for me because I have Hertha BSC in my heart.
What does “dad” expect from his boys on Wednesday?
Kevin Prince Boateng: That we give everything and put on the pitch what we put on the pitch against Dortmund. We have to be compact and give 100 percent. Then you can also lose, but at least look in the mirror and say: ‘I gave everything, but they were better today and we’ll win the next game again.’ We have to try to take this vibe, this family feeling with us and continue to pull together.
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Status: 01/19/2022, 12:58 p.m