'He made me want to quit football!'

Kevin-Prince Boateng has revealed that Lionel Messi’s out-of-this-world talent made him want to quit football during his stint at Barcelona.

Boateng had got to play alongside Messi for a brief spell after completing a shock loan move from Sassuolo in January 2019. A six-month stint at Camp Nou was enough for the 33-year-old to realize who the best player in the world is.

Although Boateng initially named Cristiano Ronaldo the best in the business, training with the Argentinean wizard made him change his mind.

The Ghanaian forward did fail to leave a mark at Barcelona, but the sole fact the Blaugrana brought him in was satisfying enough for Boateng.

Reminiscing about his time in Catalonia, the former AC Milan star concedes he could barely believe Barca looked to take him on board.

“The six months at Barcelona were incredible,” Boateng told DAZN. “At first, I didn’t believe it. I thought it was Espanyol who wanted me, not the real Barcelona!”

🗣 Kevin-Prince Boateng: "When my agent told me I was going to Barcelona, I thought he was talking about Espanyol. But he said; No. The real one." pic.twitter.com/4wEJ1GIEoG
— Football Tweet (@Football__Tweet) May 2, 2019

He then reflected on the privilege of sharing the training ground with Leo Messi.

“Training with Messi left me speechless. 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!'”

Boateng is a career journeyman, having worn the colors of Hertha BSC, Tottenham, Borussia Dortmund, Portsmouth, AC Milan, Las Palmas, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sassuolo, Barca, Fiorentina, and Besiktas.

He’s currently under contract with the Serie B outfit Monza, helping Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani secure the club’s historic Serie A promotion.