Kevin-Prince Boateng recalled his short-spell at Barcelona at revealed how watching Lionel Messi train made him want to retire from football and hang up his boots. The 33-year-old made a shock loan move to Barcelona in January 2019 and made four appearances for the Catalan giants in his six-month spell at the club. Boateng, who currently plays for Serie B club Monza, revealed he was certain Cristiano Ronaldo was the best player in the world until his move to Barcelona. He also explained what it was like being in the same football club as Messi. Lionel Messi Gets Emotional While Mourning the Death of Diego Maradona, Barcelona Pays Tribute to Late Football Star.

Boateng had joined Barcelona from Sassuolo in a short-term loan deal in January 2017 and spent six months at Camp Nou. It was, however, enough for the Germany-born striker to realize what Messi was as a footballer and learn about the greatness of the Argentinian. Messi vs Barcelona AGAIN! From Speaking About Being a Problem at Barcelona to Lashing Out at Eric Abidal, Few Instances When Lionel Messi Publicly Vented Anger.

"Training with Messi left me speechless,” Boateng was quoted as saying by The Sun to DAZN. "I had always said that Cristiano Ronaldo was the best in the world, but Messi is something else. He's not normal. While training with him, I felt inadequate for the first time in my career. He was doing incredible things. I felt like saying, 'I'm done, I'm going to quit playing!” he added.

He was part of Barcelona’s La Liga title-winning squad in 2018-19 but admitted he was left with surprise on learning Barcelona wanted to sign him. “The six months at Barcelona were incredible,” Boateng said. “At first, I didn't believe it. I thought it was Espanyol who wanted me, not the real Barcelona!”

Boateng could, however, make only four appearances for Barcelona and left the club in the summer of 2019. Since then, he has gone onto play for Fiorentina and Besiktas and currently plies his trade in Serie B with Monza, who he joined this summer.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 27, 2020 09:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).