Fiorentina forward Kevin-Prince Boateng has given an insight into his unbelievable spending during his time with Tottenham Hotspur, revealing he often embarked on huge shopping sprees simply because he had the money to do so.
When he joined Spurs back in 2007, Boateng was praised for his natural talent, but his off-the-field antics ended up dominating headlines. Often criticised for a lack of professionalism, Boateng ended up leaving Spurs just two years later, before bouncing around Europe with a whole host of sides.
Now 32 years old, Boateng has often spoken of his regret towards his old behaviour, and he recently told La Repubblica (via Football Italia) that he often chose to flex his financial muscle to make him feel happy.
He said:
“I had money, I lived like a king. I’d never been to the gym. That changes your later career.
“To the youngsters, I tell them: ‘You cannot buy happiness.’ I didn’t play, I had family problems, I was out of the squad.
“I was looking for happiness in material things: a car makes you happy for a week. I bought three to be happy for three weeks.”
After 18 months and 24 appearances for Spurs, Boateng joined Borussia Dortmund on loan in January 2009, before spending time with Portsmouth, Genoa, AC Milan, Schalke, Las Palmas, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sassuolo and Barcelona, before sealing his latest switch to Fiorentina during the summer.
He penned a two-year deal with the Serie A side, but has often left previous employers after just one season.
Source : 90min