Photo: TVSEI / CC BY 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Kevin-Prince Boateng has praised Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi as the best manager in the world, speaking after Spurs' 2-1 pre-season win over Chelsea in Sydney on Saturday.
The 39-year-old, who retired in 2023 and now lives in Sydney, was spotted in the tunnel at Accor Stadium in conversation with De Zerbi shortly after Richarlison's late winner against the Blues.
"I just hope Spurs can do a lot now with De Zerbi, for me, the best coach in the world," Boateng said. "Even today against Chelsea, you could see the quality in the first half. The club did something great to bring him in."
Boateng's admiration is rooted in personal experience. The former midfielder spent six months working under De Zerbi at Sassuolo in Italy, a stint he credits as transformative. "He made me play so well that I signed for Barcelona," Boateng said.
Asked to describe life under De Zerbi, Boateng was unequivocal. "He's the best. It's very difficult to find a manager who is both great on the field, tactics-wise, and as a human. He has both, and more. He's like a real, real best friend, like a father to young players," he said. "You can go and ask every single player in the dressing room. They all love him. There's not one who doesn't like him."
Boateng joined Tottenham at the age of 20 in 2007 before going on to play for clubs including Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Schalke 04, Eintracht Frankfurt, Barcelona, Fiorentina and Besiktas. He earned 15 caps for Ghana, featuring at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
Now settled in Sydney after initially arriving at the invitation of FIFA in 2023, Boateng described retirement as a period of calm following what he called "19 years of a tornado."