[ 2014-06-19 ]

2014 World Cup: Boateng brothers clash again as Ghana-Germany match looms
Brotherly love will be forgotten on Saturday when
Germany's Jerome Boateng faces his sibling once
more at a World Cup with Ghana's Kevin-Prince
Boateng predicting a 'fight to the death'.

The half brothers were both born in Berlin to
separate mothers, but in 2009, Schalke's
Kevin-Prince, 27, opted to play for the country of
his father.

He turned to Ghana having become discouraged by a
perceived lack of opportunities even after the
brothers had made a single appearance in the same
Germany Under-21 team.

The brothers normally have daily contact via SMS
or telephone, but there has been radio silence as
they prepare for the Fortaleza clash in Group G.

'We've had no contact recently, each of us is just
concentrating on himself,' said Bayern Munich's
Jerome Boateng.

The 25-year-old will face Ghana with a splint on
his right hand having torn a thumb ligament in
Germany's opening 4-0 win over Portugal.

This is not the first time the brothers have
played each other at a World Cup.

In South Africa, they set a record by becoming the
first brothers to play against each other at a
World Cup finals.

A nervous Germany needed Mesut Ozil's second-half
goal to seal a 1-0 win over Ghana in Johannesburg
after a shock defeat to Serbia as both sides
reached the knock stages.

Four years on, Germany are looking to maintain
their grip on the group after hammering Portugal,
but Kevin-Prince has turned up the heat on the
tie.

'It's like in ancient Rome. There will be people
around the pitch who want to see how two teams
fight,' the Schalke 04 star told German magazine
Sport Bild.

'The team who wants it more will win and we will
fight to the death against Germany.'

There was bad blood between the brothers before
the last World Cup when a hard Kevin-Prince
Boateng tackle in the FA Cup final between
Portsmouth and Chelsea ruled Germany captain
Michael Ballack out of the tournament.

'At the time we certainly had a few arguments,'
revealed Kevin-Prince.

The brothers hail from the tough Berlin district
of Wedding and neither are short of confidence,
but Kevin-Prince attracts attention.

As a seven-year-old, he successfully played a game
for a place in Hertha Berlin's young section in
rubber Wellington boots as they were his favourite
shoes at the time.

And in an interview with German football magazine
11Freunde, Boateng was once happy to admit: 'Yes,
I am the best footballer in the world'.

After spells at Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan,
the heavily-tattooed Kevin-Prince has tried to
shake off his bay-boy image and has become a
father.

He had to be content with an appearance off the
bench in his side's 2-1 defeat to the United
States on Monday.

In contrast, Germany coach Joachim Loew singled
out Jerome for praise after keeping World Player
of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo subdued as Thomas
Mueller claimed a hat-trick against Portugal.

Whatever the outcome of Saturday, there will be at
least one happy member of the Boateng clan.

'For me, it's the easiest game ever,' Prince
Boateng told German daily TZ.

'Regardless of what happens, I can only win. My
only wish is that nobody gets hurt.'

Source - ghanasoccernet.com

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