“I know the responsibility that I have”

On 13th August 2005, Prince Boateng walked out of the dressing room onto the pitch at the Olympiastadion for the first time in a competitive game with the opponents being Eintracht Frankfurt. On 13th August 2022 will be the first of the 17 home games left for the 35-year-old, and once again the opponent is Eintracht Frankfurt. In this way, the first home game of the season marks the end of a long journey for the Berlin-born player, who is still wearing the number 27 as he did in his first game for the club. “I’m really looking forward to the game – it will be special, it will be nice,” said the midfielder of the forthcoming game against Frankfurt, who he played for himself in the 2017/18 season, celebrating a DFB-Pokal win in the process. Hertha’s vice-captain is still not thinking too much about the fact he wants to hang up his boots at the end of this season: “I am a true professional and always work hard. It doesn’t matter if it’s my first or last season. I know the responsibility that I have, and what I have to do – I work towards that every day.” herthabsc.com has summarised all the crucial points from an interview with Prince. The 15-time Ghanaian international spoke about:

Boateng: It is always difficult to lose a derby. As a Berliner and Herthaner I know this especially to be the case. So it was really important to hear the message from the fans that they are behind us and that we want to make further progress together during this season. We’ve analysed what didn’t go well and have to look forward. Fair play to the coach, after the game he was really clear on this and addressed it really, really well. In the future we have to show more intensity, compete better in challenges and score goals. Of course, we are still disappointed and annoyed about it, so it is good that we get another chance on Saturday to make it better.

Boateng: It is always very emotional to play against my former club. Even if I was only there for a year, it was a special year. I’m really looking forward to the game – it will be special, it will be nice. Two teams will come up against each other that want to play with intensity, which will also make it interesting. It is important for us that we just take it game by game. Frankfurt is up now, and that will be hard enough. We can’t start to think about the games against Gladbach and Dortmund because these will be completely different games. We are just concentrating on Eintracht. It will be a difficult task for us, but we are looking forward to finally playing our first home game. Hopefully in front of a full house and with free Döner (grins).

Boateng: From the first day he has been a breath of fresh air. He is still like this. He will also not deviate from his values: work aggressively, keep moving forward, always be direct – which is exactly what we need. I really have to praise him for his commitment to his approach. We need a steady hand and a strong backbone. He stands with us and trusts us 100%!

Boateng: I’m a bit annoyed that the coach took me off so early (laughs). No, when and where I play is totally up to the coach. I also don’t know if I can always play 90 minutes. The most important thing is that I stay healthy. To play as a ten is hard work, but even more with the intensity and pressing the coach wants you to play with. But I have done a full pre-season and am ready to play this way. Luckily I lost a couple of kilos otherwise I wouldn’t be able to. I am a true professional and always work hard. It doesn’t matter if it’s my first or last season. I know the responsibility that I have, and what I have to do – I work towards that every day.

Boateng: We’ve played against each other when he was at Mainz. He was horrible to play against, an absolute beast, who was also really good with the ball at his feet. Djanga is exactly the kind of box-to-box midfielder we need, with a good build and aura. He is a really positive guy, which I also think is a really good thing. The coach also already knows him. I’m happy that he is here and think that he can helps us going forward. He has already shown what he can do in training. If he keeps working hard then he could take my place in the team. But he has to get past me first (laughs). But seriously, competition for places is healthy and it will be fun.