From Portsmouth; in the south coast of England, specifically the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, he has risen to the swanky and famous European Italian city of Milan. Undoubtedly for him, was a quantum leap in his chosen trade: i.e. football. Who? Kevin Prince Boateng. The man who was lauded and applauded by most Ghanaians for his decision to revoke his German nationality in order to represent the West African nation of Ghana on the rectangular green field where football is played. The former Hertha Berlin, Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder had overnight become a hit amongst soccer pundits and commentators, many of whom were predicting that Kevin was the ample replacement for then injured Michael Essien. Beyond the word of pundits, administrators and the average soccer lover from Axim to Zabzugu Tatale, Cape Three Points to Paga and towns, villages and communities dotted therein hailed his exploits in the Black Stars jersey. Here was a player whose passion on the field was hardly hidden, his commitment once he had possession was unquestionable, not to talk of his overall contribution to the team effort on any day. His coming was long waited and he was given a hero’s welcome even though he was yet to play a game infront of the millions of Ghanaian fans who held him in high esteem and rated him very highly from what they saw of him on the television screens. Fast forward events to sometime last month and that same man, is being vilified left, right and center; for the simple reason that he is unable to continue playing for the Black Stars. Contentiously so, the team that gave him the platform on which to rise to an European football powerhouse as AC Milan. At the time that Kevin decided to play for the Black Stars, his team Portsmouth had just lost the English FA Cup to Chelsea; with KP Boateng missing a penalty in the said game. As if that was not enough, his tackle on then Chelsea midfielder, Michael Ballack, ruled the German international out of the 2010 World Cup to the chagrin of German football fraternity. With the FA Cup finals over and with the World Cup looming, Boateng was not under any consideration going to make the German national team albeit having represented them at youth level, more so having injured and ruled Ballack out of the competition. With Portsmouth heading towards the second tier of English football, the Championship, any player without national team commitment would most likely have taken some holidays to rest and sort out their futures away from the team or wait till after the World Cup to start training. Kevin switched nationality (German – Ghanaian) and joined the Black Stars in camp ahead of the World Cup in South Africa. In South Africa, he appeared by far to be the most involved player in the Ghana team with his crunch tackles, surging runs into opponents area, great passing of the ball and urging the other players on. Essien’s absence had paled into thin air. In a midfield that comprised Kwadwo Asamoah, Andre Dede Ayew, Anthony Annan and Kevin, Ghana held took charge of the game, four years after the Stephen Appiah, Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari and Asamoah had done similar during World Cup 2006 in Germany. Kevin had won the hearts of many by the way and manner in which he played his heart out, but it was only a matter of time before he was going to be given the flack, if his commitment level fell below the expectation of the average lover of the game. Reference is to the Essien episode, on which topic I have stated unequivocally that no one man can hold a team as the Black Stars ‘hostage.’ Having said that, a platform alone is not enough but a person’s performance on that platform stands supreme. In the specific instance of KP Boateng, Ghana via the Black Stars gave him the World Cup platform on which he exhibited qualities that hitherto would have been left to waste in lower football leagues. Post SA 2010, when Ghana Football was counting her gains, a key feature was news that KP Boateng was the subject of a loan move from then Championship side, Portsmouth to Italian Serie A side, Genoa. As if that was not enough, he was to be loaned immediately to Italian and European football giants AC Milan for a season with the option of being bought. Boateng’ blistering first season led to a permanent deal as per his performance in the league winning side. As for the reason he (Kevin) has given and the several other being bandied about as motivation to quit the team that gave him the platform to rise, I think the gentleman took his chance and was in no way bound to continue playing for the Black Stars. The pool of players from which Ghana can on any day assemble her first eleven players would hardly ever run dry. It takes a shorter time for Ghana to replace midfielders than it takes for us to find a striker with the quality of Abedi Pele and Anthony Yeboah in their hey days (and I contend Asamoah Gyan would admit this). Kevin must as quickly as possible be consigned to the history of Ghana Football because more influential players have either walked out on the team or resigned but like the proverbial phoenix, that team has risen from the ashes. The far reaching implications of Kevin’s actions are that, many are those who would express skepticism at the FA’s approach of players of Ghanaian parentage to switch nationalities and to serve Ghana Football. Many a time, these are players who would hardly make a first-team place in the European sides they would otherwise have represented. No need to fret if you ask me; what the fans think would not necessarily bind the FA in anyway (maybe significantly as it were). This piece can hardly be complete without talk of the club versus country row; which has become a sticking point between players and the reason for which African players especially have had to take the tough decision of choosing either of the two. Most at times, it is the country that loses out on the services of the players. The plain reason and harsh truth being that it is at these clubs that players are kept in active service. Not just that, it is these clubs that dish out the huge sums of weekly salary that are reported in the media. The former German and Ghanaian international may have quit the Black Stars but certainly did not, cannot and must not be seen to have left us in the cold, rather let us look forward to his replacement as we gear up for the Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in 2012. At the turning point of his own history would be the nine games and one goal that he played and scored for Ghana and his participation in the World Cup which catapulted him to winning a major European League title and the chance to play in the prestigious European Champions League. His story from where I stand is a flight from ‘unknown’ Portsmouth to the glamorous and ritzy streets of Milan. Ghana’s number 23 shirted-man at South Africa 2010, his general demeanor when he appealed for a penalty against Serbia and his surging run and stunning goal against the United States in the quarter-finals would lie on, as would be his celebration after the strike. The bigger question in my view is; with the advent of coming out of international retirement, should Ghana accept him back if he asks to return to the side in the lead up to the Cup of Nations next month (Gabon/Equatorial Guinea 2012?). On behalf of Kevin Prince Boateng: Pompey to Rossaneiri With Love….