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Robin van Persie has often beautified the Premier League with his elegant style, Arsenal fans have become accustomed to his expert finishing, assists a plenty and a penchant for free-kicks but his contributions are often with frustrating irregularity – injuries have dictated it.

The Dutchman missed most of last season with an ankle ligament problem and having started just one game so far, the heart sinking familiarity of déjà vu will again stalk the Arsenal star.

It looks likely he will miss the first two Champions League games and a huge clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with an ankle injury sustained in the 2-1 victory over Blackburn at Ewood Park and whilst it constitutes a blow for Arsenal, it will also be a personal setback for the player himself as he enters the prime of his career.

He has every right to feel cursed as he embarks upon a second consecutive season hampered by injury. Since day one of his time in England, similar lay-offs have circumscribed the sheer class which he possesses and perhaps he would have hoped, on the back of a World Cup final appearance, that he could display such ability in the absence of injury.

They say stats don’t lie and with only 93 Premier League starts in six seasons at the Emirates, Arsenal fans will start to question whether their lack of trophies is down to the loss of their top marksmen as much as it is their goalkeeping troubles. It is now no longer conjecture that Van Persie is prone to long spelt on the side-lines and stories of a stunning free-kick or a beautifully crafted assist are now inferior to those detailing his absence.

It is also conceivable that he is now a luxury player at the Emirates and that unless he proves his fitness Arsenal may be wise to cut their losses and look to find another striker.

If Wenger’s side harbour any ambition of ending a trophy deprived few years then they must go into battle with “RVP” as the focal point of their attack. Instead, with Nicklas Bendtner injured, they must now contemplate new signing Mauroane Chamakh as the only tangible alternative to lead the line in the preferred 4-2-3-1 system.

I for one sincerely hope that the talented forward comes back stronger than ever and disproves the concept that the dark clouds have chased the sunshine we saw during his Premier League berth away. His ability has been blemished by a whole heap of misfortune.

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It was the first time I’d been in the home dressing room at Chelsea for half a century. In fact, I hadn’t visited Stamford Bridge at all since Roman Abramovich took over. Many ex-players love going back to the scenes of former glories, and each to their own, but Boris Becker summed it up for me while talking wistfully about Centre Court at Wimbledon, as he watched Pete Sampras heading towards another title. “This place used to be all mine but it’s his court now – it all belongs to Pete.”

That’s why I rarely return either to the Bridge or White Hart Lane. When you used to be the main man, the king of the hill, it feels discomforting to turn up and watch someone else in your place. It was my 11-year-old grandson Harry who brought me back to the Bridge. He’s the only one of my 10 grandchildren who supports Chelsea. My missus Irene, who has supported the Blues since I was a kid there, made damned sure of it by sticking a plaque on his bedroom wall saying: ‘A Chelsea fan sleeps here.’

So for the Boxing Day derby against Fulham, I went along with my son Andy and Harry, and the club invited us on to the pitch at half-time as well as arranging for Harry to meet his hero Didier Drogba, post-match. Given the disappointing 1-1 scoreline, I didn’t expect to be ushered into the dressing room – approximately twice the size it was in my own playing days – but there we found ourselves, in the inner sanctum.

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Harry enjoyed a good chat with Drogba, John Terry gave him his shirt and I had a chat with Frank Lampard, whose dad used to be my West Ham team-mate. Sticking my head around the corner to the treatment area I spotted Ashley Cole having a massage. “A massage?” I asked him, “What’s that all about?” “Someone trod on my foot,” said Ashley. “I suppose in your day you’d be having a beer and a fag by now?” “Too bloody right,” I told him. “It wouldn’t be a bad thing if we went back to those days,” he said. “I don’t think, so, Ash, the money wasn’t quite the same!”

He could hardly disagree with that one, given his infamous comments about negotiating a contract with Arsenal, but when you meet Cole you get the distinct impression that his public image is all wrong. There was a bit of speculation in the press about whether I’d offered Fernando Torres any advice. We did meet and say hello but the last thing he’d have wanted was some fat old bloke telling him how many goals he had scored for the club.It was interesting to watch Torres from up in an executive box in the West Stand, which used to be the vast West Terrace, one of the biggest standing areas in football, and a place I was unfortunate enough to have to sweep as an apprentice.

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The most remarkable thing for me was how incredibly supportive the Chelsea fans were towards him. For a £50million striker, who has only scored three goals in a year, to be backed to the hilt, without a murmur of criticism, is a great credit to those supporters and a real blessing for Torres. The Spaniard actually put in a decent all-round team performance but his lack of confidence was all too apparent.

Alan Shearer was right when he said Torres is spending too much time with his back to goal, and that Andre Villas-Boas needs to be seeing the No.9 on his shirt more often. But a goal drought is an awful thing for any striker. It eats away at you and Villas-Boas needs to give Torres more support – I’d love to have seen him play up front with Drogba more often.

I don’t buy into the opinion that they cannot operate together. They are two top players, they aren’t particularly similar and it’s the manager’s job to find a way of accommodating both. In the meantime, though, Torres will be on his own up front, with Drogba away at the African Cup of Nations. It ain’t going to be easy, but I know one little 11-year-old who would be delighted to see Torres succeed.

Ligue 1 leaders Lille will be wary of the threat posed by a Monaco side battling to avoid relegation for the first time since the 1970s.Monaco were French champions in 1999-2000, and progressed to the Champions League final in 2004, where they were beaten 3-0 by Porto, but since then have dropped off the pace considerably.

After claiming third-place in 2004-05, Monaco have finished 10th, ninth, 12th, 11th and eighth, and Laurent Banide’s men are sitting in the drop zone – one point behind 17th-placed Auxerre.

Lille will also have history on their mind heading into Saturday’s clash, and after setting the pace for much of the Ligue 1 season, their chief objective is to break a 57-year championship drought.

Rudi Garcia’s men are four points clear of Marseille on top of the table with nine games to go this season, and make the trip to the Stade Louis II on the back of a four-game winning streak.

Also on Saturday, third-placed Rennes – who are seven points behind Lille – visit a Brest side keen to put some more breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone.

Paris Saint-Germain, who are fifth, will look to close the gap on fourth-placed Lyon and keep their hopes of European football alive when they visit a Caen side just three points clear of the relegation zone.

Bottom side Arles can keep their slim hopes of survival afloat when they visit Jean Tigana’s Bordeaux side, seventh-placed St Etienne take on Auxerre at the Stade Abbe-Deschamps and Lorient welcome Sochaux.

Nancy make the trip to Valenciennes in a battle of two sides in the bottom half of the table, and on Sunday second-placed Marseille will look to keep the pressure on Lille when they host Toulouse, who are in 11th place.

Elsewhere on Sunday, fourth-placed Lyon welcome second-from-bottom Lens, and sixth-placed Montpellier will look to keep their chance of European football alive when they host Nice.

In an age where footballers are as equally recognised for their obscene pay packets, fast cars and playboy lifestyles, as for their actual ability on the football pitch, it’s good to know that there are some players who still uphold the long-established and time-honoured traditions on which the game was built. Fernando Torres’ decision to stay at Liverpool this season, made with a minimum amount of fuss and objection, was a victory for the purists of the game and for class, tradition and good old fashioned loyalty.

It comes as no surprise that a player of Torres’ class and quality on the pitch is as equally so off it. Torres upholds the game’s morals of hard work and fair play every time he crosses the white line and appreciates the privileged position he is in by getting paid a handsome sum for kicking around a football. You do not see Torres diving around the pitch looking for free kicks or penalties, or play-acting to deceive referees. You also get a humbleness and humility from Torres and not the arrogance and egotism often seen with similarly gifted players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba.

The Spanish striker could have easily requested a move this summer following three years of underachievement and broken promises at Anfield but has decided to stay and help the club turn a corner under new manager Roy Hodgson. As seen with Javier Mascherano’s refusal to even return Hodgson’s phone calls over the summer to discuss his future and Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas shamelessly trying to engineer a move to Barcelona, some footballers show a distinct lack of regard for the club that employs them and pays their wages. Torres chose to keep a dignified silence amid speculation regarding a transfer before returning to the club to clarify reports and publicly commit his future to Liverpool.

Torres is now entering the prime of his career and has still yet to win a major trophy at club level. With Chelsea and Barcelona, as well as the ambitious Man City, all reportedly keen on the Liverpool No.9, the Spaniard would have been tempted to pack his bags and leave. Liverpool are a side that finished 7th last season and are faced with the prospect of Europa League football this season. The club’s inability to find new investment this summer and finally start work on a new stadium would have also all been crosses in the ‘against’ column as Torres was figuring out his future. However Torres must now sense new investment is close and will be confident he can fire The Reds up the table this season.

Torres’ decision to stay will further enhance is glowing reputation on Merseyside in the eyes of his adoring public who worship him following his remarkable 56 goals in 79 league games for the club. Torres now has to prove his fitness on the pitch following a season disrupted by injury last year. Should he do so, then Torres can continue to light up the Premier League in a red shirt for years to come. While Liverpool are now optimistic heading into the new season under the stewardship of manager Roy Hodgson, Torres’ decision to stay could prove pivotal to the club’s future successes.

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Why Hodgson deserved a damn sight better

Should Liverpool cash in on Lucas?

Roy’s ‘future vision’ gives Liverpool every chance

Why did he do it?

That is the question that remains in the mind of family, friends, colleagues and supporters alike, and is one that is likely to remain unanswered with regards to the death of Gary Speed. His passing is nothing short of a tragedy and has rocked the game to the very core.

I have to say I was taken aback by the news and like the majority failed to comprehend how a man, who from the outset seemingly had everything at his feet and as national team manager was at the pinnacle of his sport, found himself in such a dark place that he had little option but to end it all there and then. I am sure I wasn’t the only one that found it even more chilling that he seemed so full of energy and spirit on Football Focus a few hours previous. This wasn’t seemingly a man who visibly had demons eating him up inside, but I guess how would anyone of known.

Stan Collymore highlighted on twitter last Friday his battle against depression and how it hits you like a train at times and you are left not knowing which way to turn to. Let’s be honest most people fail to recognise the severity of depression or insecurities and to many it is derided as an illness, mainly down to our ignorance towards the disease. Full credit to Collymore for making people aware its consequences and calling on those sufferers to be open about it, and talk to doctors and friends. I guess herein lies the tragedy with Speed that he didn’t have the ability to tell those loved ones of his issues and I’m sure all his friends will be equally upset that he didn’t confide. Whether Speed did in fact suffer from depression remains to be seen; but the fact he couldn’t open up about the issues that led to his untimely death highlights a man who would rather suffer in silence than pass on his problems to anyone else. So many people will be left ruing the fact he didn’t and they will have that feeling inside for the rest of their lives.

I know it is somewhat clichéd that when tragedy strikes you evaluate and take stock of your own situation, but it certainly put life into perspective. It got me thinking of all the things that anger me in football like your players who are happy to go on strike; the parasite agents who milk their clients dry, or the workings of FIFA and I find my blood boiling even more. Gary Speed was the model professional, a fabulous ambassador for the Sport who gave everything to the game we all love – basically ten times the man of any of the above – and yet a real football man is taken from us, while the self-centred sods happily go about their business. It doesn’t seem fair and it doesn’t seem right, but it just further highlights the enormity of this tragedy.

The inquest to Speed’s death opens today and I hope that his family and friends get some answers to their questions over their tragic loss. I hope the powers that be look into the psychological side of football and ensure clubs educate their footballers of a variety of issues, including the perils of depression as Collymore alluded to. Lastly I hope that Gary Speed finally finds himself at peace with himself after leaving a world, in which judging by the heartfelt tributes he was clearly adored.

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RIP Gary.

Charlie Adam has goals, countless assists and numerous man of the match performances to his name, so it’s unsurprising that his performances have turned the heads of the Premier League’s ‘big boys.’ Throughout the January transfer window Adam was linked with Liverpool, who had a bid in the region of £4 million rejected, with Aston Villa and Tottenham also showing interest. As the season draws to a close and the window opens again, there’s no doubt that Adam will be linked with a move away, especially if reports are to be believed that Manchester United now want the Scot. With so many mouth watering propositions for Adam, it’s hard to decide where the Scottish international should ply his trade next season.

Liverpool, the first team to signify major intent on signing Adam have turned the corner since the arrival of Kenny Dalglish, but there is still room for Charlie Adam in their midfield, perhaps replacing Lucas (despite his improved performances this season) with Maxi Rodriguez and Kuyt on the flanks. Gerrard and Adam would be a dynamic duo to provide fantastic support and assists for the likes of Suarez or Carroll respectively; however such is the versatility of Adam that Liverpool could adopt a more attacking 4-3-3 formation with Kuyt, Carroll and Suarez used as out and out forwards, Adam adding a new dynamic to the Liverpool squad and without a shadow of a doubt being readily called upon as a match winner when Steven Gerrard is unavailable.

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Tottenham Hotspur failed in their signing of Charlie Adam due to certain paperwork not being completed on time and that proved very costly when Adam scored in Blackpool’s 3-1 win over Spurs in February. Tottenham have an abundance of talent in the middle of the park with Sandro, Jenas, Palacios and Huddlestone all competing for that starting berth alongside the ever impressive Luka Modric. In this writer’s opinion, Adam is a more gifted and influential player than Sandro, Jenas or Palacios however these players all offer a protective cover for Modric to get forward and thread the ball through to the likes of Bale and Defoe. If Spurs were to sign Charlie Adam it would be a bold yet risky move playing Adam and Modric in their current formation, as neither are the most defensively minded players. Spurs perhaps could adopt a different formation with three in the middle, which makes them narrow yet plays to Modric and Adam’s strengths; but how do you sacrifice a formation that has achieved a Champions League Quarter Final and has put them on the cusp of repeating a top four finish?

Manchester United being one of the world’s biggest teams renders a transition from Bloomfield Road to Old Trafford supremely difficult; the gulf in class in every element is astronomical. Sir Alex Ferguson has been impressed with Adam’s goalscoring feats and with many believing that Paul Scholes will not take up the option of an extra year with United to call time on his glittering career, Adam appears the obvious choice for an adept replacement; a simple like-for-like swap. Adam is of the Scholes mould, scoring crucial goals and generally working hard for the team, thus no formation or tactic changes would be needed, as Fletcher would provide the cover for Adam to roam; picking out passes and loitering around the 18 yard box.

White Hart Lane, Anfield and Old Trafford are some of the biggest footballing venues in the world; Bloomfield Road, however, may yet be the best venue for Charlie Adam to continue playing. With all due respect to Blackpool, Adam may just be ‘a big fish in a small pond’, as at Glasgow Rangers (which is a distinctively larger ‘pond’), Adam didn’t set the world alight and didn’t look half the player. Think back to Matt Le Tissier, a loyal servant to Southampton, who regularly pops up in the top 20 Premier League players ever. However, Le Tissier never tested himself outside of The Dell; perhaps if he had moved onto Tottenham in 1990 or Chelsea in 1996 when they both showed interest he would have faltered and not gone down in Premier League history with the nickname ‘Le God.’

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It would be a compliment to Adam to go down as Blackpool’s Le Tissier, and why not? It was Ian Holloway who managed Adam into the player he is today and it’s hard to argue that Sir Alex, Harry Redknapp or Kenny Dalglish would have or will do a better job for the Scottish international. If Adam does stay, it will be a breath of fresh air for the Premier League to have a team outside the top five or six that has a little something about them.

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For the second season in a row, Swansea have had their manager poached from under their noses. 12 months ago Wigan swooped for Roberto Martinez for whom the lure of the Premier League proved too much, and now this summer fellow Championship club Leicester have secured the services of Paulo Sousa. The loss of Sousa is not as bad as that of Martinez a year ago, with the proviso that Chairman Huw Jenkins made a quality replacement, but does the arrival of new gaffer Brendan Rodgers fit that brief?

The summer period hasn’t exactly proved to be a good time for the Swans in recent years. The departure of Martinez and top scorer Jason Scotland a year ago looked on paper as though it would be disastrous, and I for one was surprised at how well Swansea fared in the Championship, just missing out on the playoffs once more. Just when the Liberty Stadium club are looking to strengthen, yet again their manager walks out on them and Swansea have to rebuild once more.

It’s never a good sign when a new manager comes in and says he’s determined to win over the doubters, fighting what could well be a losing battle right from the start. Brendan Rodgers has to do just that, and it’s no wonder given his managerial CV to date. Seven months at Watford was followed by six months at Reading, before he was sacked due to the club flirting with relegation, which resulted in a dramatic upturn in fortunes for the Championship club. So the pressure will be on Rodgers right from the get go, but will it be an environment he can thrive in?

Nicknamed the Special One because he worked under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, the real Special One has always believed in Rodgers. “I like everything in him, he is ambitious and does not see football very differently from myself” Mourinho has previously said. Thus should his time at Reading just be viewed as a blip? A time when he was building a young team and who knows, maybe he would have got them to the right end of the table if given time.

I’ve no doubt that the Swansea faithful will fully get behind the Northern Irishman but will not tolerate a similar start to the one he had at Reading. The 37-year-old has a tough task ahead of him, and will firstly have to fight off Premiership interest in key players such as Darren Pratley and Ashley Williams, before looking to strengthen for the upcoming Championship campaign. Having failed at Reading, is there any reason why the fortunes of Brendan Rodgers will be different at Swansea? I’m not overly confident.

Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer

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As most football fans will know the scope of the Ballon d’Or, originally the award given to the European Footballer of the Year was extended last year to become the FIFA Ballon d’Or which is now awarded to the player considered by both FIFA and UEFA to be the best in the world.

The 2010 Ballon d’Or was awarded to Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Argentina, who had also won the final Ballon d’Or in 2009 and is again among the 23 players named this week in this year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or shortlist.

Eric Abidal (France), Sergio Aguero (Argentina), Karim Benzema (France), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Dani Alves (Brazil), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Muller (Germany), Nani (Portugal), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Ozil (Germany), Gerard Pique (Spain), Wayne Rooney (England), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Luis Suarez (Uruguay), David Villa (Spain), Xabi Alonso (Spain), Xavi (Spain).

This list will be shortened to just three names on December 5th with the result being announced in Zurich on January 9th 2012.

Despite being regarded as the best league in the world, the Premier League has received only four nominations and one of them is the recent arrival to the league at Manchester City, Sergio Aguero. The other three are Wayne Rooney and Nani, both of Manchester United and Luis Suarez of Liverpool. In fact, Rooney is the only English player among the 23!

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Needless to say, the nominations have a huge bias towards attacking players, with only two defenders, Eric Abidal and Danny Alvez and one goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, making the shortlist.

It was three players from FC Barcelona who occupied the top three 12 months ago, with Messi winning ahead of teammates Andres Iniesta and Xabi Hernandez and many believe that the same outcome could easily occur again this year after Barcelona once again dominated European football and unlike 2010, the nominated players from the Catalan club can now boast a Champions League winners medal to the case for winning the award which has been around since 1956. In fact, it would be a major surprise should Messi not win for a third consecutive year and bookmakers are offering odds of just 1/7 that he wins again.

Also awarded on the night is the award for FIFA Coach of the Year and on that shortlist are three Premier League nominees, but one of those, Andre Villas-Boas, has been nominated for his performance in winning the Europa League last season with FC Porto before he made his move to Chelsea. The others are Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United and Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger, although quite why Wenger has found himself on the shortlist after a trophy less six years at the Emirates is a mystery.

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The Coach award looks set to be a straight battle between Spain’s National Team Manager, Vincente Del Bosque and Pep Guardiola, Head Coach of FC Barcelona with only Oscar Tabarez, Head Coach of Uruguay, a possibility to upset the Spanish duo after his superb job in guiding his country to an unexpected victory in the Copa America.

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There was a time when Rohan Ricketts was being mentioned as a possible inclusion in the England side. A pacy winger who was not afraid to take on players, seemed a perfect fit for Sven’s England squad. However, a change in fortunes soon saw Rohan having to look far and wide just to find first team football.

A youngster at Arsenal, Ricketts spent his football youth with the likes of Jay Bothroyd, Jermaine Pennant and Steve Sidwell. He even managed to pick up two FA Youth Cups during his time at Highbury, in 2000 and 2001.

Despite early promise, Ricketts was allowed to leave Arsenal at the end of the 2001/02 season. But, it was just a short move for Ricketts, who joined North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur – becoming only the fourth player in history to move between the two clubs.

The Spurs days

A quiet first season at White Hart Lane saw Ricketts restricted to reserve team action. However, he managed to impress manager Glenn Hoddle enough to persuade him to give him a chance in the first team. Ricketts impressed immediately and soon became a favourite with the Spurs fans, and was even linked with an England call-up.

However, Hoddle was sacked as manager in September 2003 and Ricketts started to find his first team opportunities limited. He did manage to score his first league goal for the club, during a 2-1 win against Aston Villa in November 2003. Ricketts continued to find himself in and out of the side until the end of the season.

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French manager Jacques Santini took charge at the beginning of the 2004/05 season and, again, Ricketts struggled to make an impact. Even a quick change in manager, when Santini was quickly replaced by Martin Jol, didn’t prove successful for the winger.

He was sent out on loan to Coventry in late 2004. He returned to Spurs, but was sent out on loan again in March 2005, this time to join up with Hoddle, who was now in charge at Wolves. A loan spell saw play seven times and score once, a late winner against Reading.

Move to the Black Country

Ricketts was allowed to leave Spurs in the summer of 2005 and joined Wolves permanently for the 2005/06 season, a time when many were backing Wolves for promotion. However, a difficult season saw Ricketts in and out of the team again and Wolves missed out on promotion – which inevitably spelt the end for Hoddle, who left the club before the 2006/07 season.

Mick McCarthy took charge and initially kept faith with Ricketts, giving him the chance to prove himself in the first team. But, following the arrival of Michael Kightly, Ricketts found himself in the reserves and was sent out on loan to QPR in March 2007. He returned to Wolves briefly before being released at the end of the season.

He joined Barnsley in the summer of 2007, but again struggled to hold down a first team place and left the Yorkshire club in April 2008, a few weeks short of the end of the season. However Ricketts did manage to agree a new deal quickly, this time with Toronto FC in Canada.

Continue to the NEXT PAGE…

Oh Canada…

All looked well for Ricketts now, who quickly settled in and established himself in the first team. His performances quickly made him a fan’s favourite at Toronto and it looked like he had finally found somewhere he could settle. However, more disappointment lay ahead.

Following the arrival of several international players, Ricketts once again found himself out of the side. He left the club in the summer of 2009 and moved back to England to find a new club.

He had a trial at Aberdeen and impressed during his time there. However, financial constraints at the Scottish club prevented him from signing and he had to look elsewhere – which happened to be Eastern Europe.

Eurotrip

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In early 2010, Ricketts joined Hungarian side Diosgyori VTK. The move quickly tuned sour though as Ricketts was not selected for first team action, leading to him leaving the club in the summer.

His next move in August 2010 saw him become a record-holder. He joined Moldovan side FC Dacia Chisinau – becoming the first English player to play professionally in Moldova. Again, the move did not work out as expected and he decided to leave.

After doing some TV work for the 2010 World Cup , Ricketts decided to look for a new club and headed to Germany in 2010 in search of trials. Recently, he signed for SV Wilhelmshoren, who play in the fourth tier of German football.

I think it’s fair to say that Ricketts has taken one of the most unusual paths in football. However, it is refreshing to see someone who has had to go through a lot remain so upbeat, and I highly recommend following Ricketts on Twitter. He is never short of an opinion and provides a lot of entrainment to football fans worldwide. Here’s hoping that his German move proves a successful one!

If you enjoy my blogs, please follow me on Twitter robertmfletcher.

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From ‘zero to hero’ is a common expression that has been used to describe a lot of footballers and it is certainly a tag that can be given to Kevin-Prince Boateng.

The newly capped Ghanaian midfielder was playing reserve team football for Tottenham two years ago, after failing to make the grade at White Hart Line. Now he is one of the darlings of his country after Ghana reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup. His middle name Prince, adorns the back of his shirt for Ghana and that couldn’t be more fitting of how his country regards him after his fantastic World Cup.

He was arguably Ghana’s best player of the tournament and his displays often ran the midfield, his exploits included a stunning goal against the USA in the second round which helped to take them through. Boateng proved to be one of the revelations of the World Cup and the same can be said for his club Portsmouth, who despite their woeful season Boateng managed to come out of it with some credit. He gave his all for the team and he scored the winning goal at Wembley that incredibly took Portsmouth to the final of the FA Cup against Chelsea. In the final however he was guilty of missing a penalty for Portsmouth when the scores were 0-0 and that possibly could have won them the game had he been able to convert it. The FA Cup final also had some implications on the World Cup as Boateng injured Michael Ballack, which ruled him out of the World Cup finals for the nation of Boateng’s birth Germany. As a result his half-brother, Jerome Boateng who is a German international petulantly decided that he no longer wished to speak to Kevin-Prince any more.

Kevin-Prince Boateng didn’t play for Ghana until the week the World Cup was due to commence as he played in Ghana’s 1-0 friendly victory against Latvia at Stadium:mk in England. Boateng started every single game for Ghana in the World Cup, and it’s incredible how such a lynch-pin for team didn’t play a single game for Ghana until just before the start of the tournament. When Boateng moved to Tottenham in 2007 he was highly regarded as a promising youngster, but shortly after his arrival he looked off the pace and not suited to the Premier League. Arguably he didn’t get a fair crack of the whip at Spurs as he only managed 14 appearances for the club. He thrived at Portsmouth this year and after their relegation and money troubles as well as the fact that he had such a good World Cup, means that there is no doubt that he will move on.

It seems as though a move to Italy is in the offing with Genoa and Lazio being linked, and the latest reports claim that the clubs may reach a co-ownership agreement for his services. Whoever does land Boateng this summer will have a talented player at their disposal who has shown that hard work can take you far in football, and it’s nice to see a player who was written off countless times go and make a name for himself and Kevin-Prince Boateng certainly looks like he will be rewarded for his efforts.

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Click on image below to see the SPANISH babes at the World Cup