Kevin-Prince Boateng and half-brother Jerome grew up in the tough Berlin district of Wedding, learning about the subtleties of soccer and the inequalities of life in tiny caged-in cement playgrounds the size of an inner city basketball court.
The Boateng boys have come a long way from that under-privileged, run-down high-rise section of Berlin and will once again be applying those life lessons learned on the biggest stage at the World Cup on Saturday.
Kevin-Prince and his Ghana team square off against Jerome and Germany in the Group G showdown, a rematch for the brothers of their 2010 battle in South Africa which Germany won 1-0. The Boatengs made World Cup history - the first time two brothers had played against each other in the tournament.
Although the Boatengs both live in Germany and regularly play against each other in the Bundesliga, Kevin-Prince switched allegiance to his father’s homeland of Ghana in 2009 because he felt he was not getting the chance he deserved with Germany.
A charismatic and natural leader on and off the pitch, Kevin-Prince has rarely shied away from expressing his opinion.
The muscular midfielder recently made headlines for saying Germany does not have any “Typen” (“tough-guy”) leaders who step up and take charge when the chips are down - criticism that made waves.
“In really tight matches for Germany there was never anyone who stepped up to take charge,” said Kevin-Prince, 27, ahead of the Germany match. “It’s a fundamental truth.”
The unspoken subtext of his comment is that he is exactly that kind of “Typ” that Germany sorely needs: a confident, courageous, bold, loud, and opinionated leader that Germany has not had since Michael Ballack retired - or especially since Stefan Effenberg’s era ended over a decade ago.
By contrast, Jerome is a natural born follower and admits he has always looked up to his older brother, who once led his AC Milan team off the field after being racially abused by fans.
Jerome, 25, followed Kevin-Prince into the Hertha Berlin youth programme at a young age after his older brother was discovered by a Hertha scout.
He later followed Kevin-Prince to England - Kevin-Prince played for Tottenham Hotspur and Jerome played for Manchester City. Jerome later moved to Bayern Munich and has been a stalwart defender for the team that won the 2013 Champions League and back-to-back domestic doubles in 2013 and 2014.
