World Cup winning Centre back Jerome Boateng could have opted for tennis instead of football at an early age. The Bayern defender won football’s biggest prize in Brazil 2014 but claims his career path could have been totally different after turning 14.
I was a keen tennis player when I was younger, and at 14 had to decide whether to pursue tennis or football. I decided to play football because you have teammates who can tidy up after you. Every mistake I made at tennis was final. At the time, I couldn’t handle that rationally – I was just too emotional,” he told reporters.
Boateng has also played for Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin and English side Manchester City.