Derek Boateng reveals why players don’t perform playing for Black Stars

For Ghanaian international footballer and Black Stars midfielder, Derek Boateng has opened as to why some players never made it ‘big’ while playing for the senior national team.

Born in Ghana, Boateng went on to play professional football in Greece, Sweden, Israel, Germany, Spain, Ukraine, England, and the United States during a career that spanned between 1999 and 2017.

He said while a lot of the players did well playing at their clubs, it becomes almost impossible for them to shine when wearing their national colors.

According to him joining the Black Stars was tough because he never imagined there could be a lot of pressure playing for Ghana.

“It was tough… you know before when we were young, we hear that there’s issues with the Black Stars and we don’t believe it but until we joined,” he said while speaking in an exclusive interview with Nana Yaw Asare on Top Radio’s morning sports show Top Sports.

“It’s like everyone had their own friends… you will feel the pressure if you are not tough. That why a lot of players come to the Black Stars and they can’t make it, and its not that they are not good… when they come, they don’t perform but when they go to their clubs you see how they are performing but when they come to the Black Stars is heavy”, Derek Boateng mentioned on the pressure that comes when one wears the national jersey.

“Black Stars is not easy so I feel like if you are going there, you should be mentally prepared”, he added.