Former Black Stars midfielder Derek Boateng has revealed that his appearances at the FIFA World Cup stage was a dream come true for him.
He was part of the 2006 squad that played in Germany and the historic 2010 squad that reached the quarter-finals in South Africa, making an impact from the heart of the midfield.
“It’s a dream come true for me and I cannot ask [for] anything more than that,” he told CNN. “Playing the World Cup is everything to me, as a football player.
“It means the whole world is watching you … there will be somebody that’s never seen me play before so I have to give that person something to take home, I have to give my best.
He also encourages young footballers to keep working hard.
“Sometimes you’ve been doing a lot of things that are not working for you, but it doesn’t mean that you have to stop – you have to keep on going.”
“In my career a lot of people tell me, ‘no, no, no,’ and I don’t listen to them. The moment when you listen to the word ‘no,’ the whole career will shut down,” he said.
“Sometimes some things you don’t expect in life will come to your way – you don’t have to stop there … you have to keep on running with it.”
Boateng now works with the Right To Dream Academy as a scout.
