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Boateng turns back on German clubs

Berlin - Berlin-born Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng says he will never play for a German club again after his turbulent two years at Schalke 04.

The 28-year-old has a contract with AC Milan until the end of the season after being told he had no future at Schalke following a disagreement with club captain Benedikt Hoewedes.

"I have closed the door on Germany," the central midfielder told SID, an AFP subsidiary.

"I am not sad about it, just disappointed that everything went so haywire in Schalke in the second year."

Boateng has played for Hertha Berlin, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth and Genoa in his career.

With just five appearances and just one goal to his name since returning to Milan in January, he knows he may well be looking for a new club at the end of the season.

"Of course, I want to play more," said the 15-times capped Ghana international.

"I just want to show what I can do."

Having written his autobiography, the half-brother of Bayern Munich's Germany defender Jerome Boateng says he never got on with Germany international Hoewedes in his two years at Schalke.

"Just like in everything else, there are people in football who you don't particularly like. That was the case with us," he said.

Having been shown the door by Schalke at the end of last season, Boateng was threatened with legal action by director of sport Horst Heldt if he said anything defamatory about club officials in his book.

"I heard about Horst Heldt's statement, but nobody got in touch with me directly," he said.

His tackle on Germany captain Michael Ballack, while playing for Portsmouth, in the 2010 FA Cup final ruled the then-Chelsea star out of that year's World Cup with an ankle injury.

He never played for Germany again, retiring on 98 caps, and Boateng claims some German internationals have told him they were pleased Ballack missed the tournament in South Africa.

"Two, three players are currently reading the book. They told me that they find it very good. That was it. Otherwise, there was no reaction," said Boateng.

In his book, Boateng describes spending up to 10,000 (12,649 euros, $13,940) a night partying in London and then reporting drunk for training at Tottenham.

"I think everyone does crazy things in life," said.

"i'm someone who likes to live it up."

Boateng says he wrote his book to show the darker side of being a footballer.

"Everyone thinks footballers have a great life and drive great cars, but sometimes you have to pull the veil away and look behind," he said.

"My book should help do that."

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