Speaking later to Rio Ferdinand on VIBE with FIVE, Boateng revealed that Real Madrid had been his favourite club growing up, but insisted that saying so upon arriving in Catalonia would have been impossible.
On being asked which was his favourite club, he said: "I supported Hertha Berlin, where I grew up and then, sorry, Blaugrana…Barcelona fans gonna hate me now, but Real Madrid. I couldn't say that in the press conference [when I signed for Barcelona]. They told me I could never say that. Because otherwise we can't play you."
He added: "Two years before, when I was at Las Palmas, they asked me in a press conference who was the best player in the world and I said 'in this world Ronaldo, in the galaxy Messi' and then they asked me my favourite club and I said 'Real Madrid'. Then, the first question was who is your favourite club, I said ‘Barcelona’. I think anyone would have done the same, I wanted to pull on that shirt one time at Camp Nou. It's one of the biggest lies I've ever told."
Ferdinand, himself no stranger to football politics, responded: "Footballers lie…we lie all the time, man."