The sheer magnitude and historical prestige of Real Madrid make it common to see professional athletes openly express their ambition to join the club.
For many, Los Blancos represent the pinnacle of football, with countless youngsters growing up idolizing Cristiano Ronaldo and dreaming of wearing the iconic white kit.
In recent years, stars like Kylian Mbappé, Eden Hazard, and Endrick have been vocal about their admiration for Ronaldo and their desire to sign for Madrid—dreams they eventually realized.
However, not every Madridista gets that chance. Many retired players have admitted they longed for a move to the Bernabeu that never materialized.
Among them is former Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng.
Despite being a lifelong supporter of Real Madrid, Boateng’s career took him to the Camp Nou on loan in 2019.
Recently, he shared the surprising lengths Barcelona went to in order to suppress any public display of affection for their El Clasico rivals.
Boateng confesses to hiding his admiration for Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo
Speaking on the podcast UNSCRIPTED by Josh Mansour, Boateng revealed that he was essentially forced to lie about his footballing allegiances during his introductory press conference at Barcelona.
He admitted that without doing so, his move to the club would have been in jeopardy.
Boateng explained that Real Madrid had always been his favorite team and he firmly believed Cristiano Ronaldo was the greatest player in the world.
Yet, upon arriving in Catalonia, the club’s hierarchy allegedly instructed him to declare the Blaugrana as the world’s best club and Lionel Messi as the undisputed number one.
This isn’t an isolated incident of players feeling pressured to distance themselves from Los Merengues while at Barca.
Recently, former defender Inigo Martinez—now a teammate of Ronaldo at Al Nassr—offered public praise for Vinicius Junior, a gesture that would have been strictly forbidden during his time at the Camp Nou.
The rivalry between these two giants is legendary, but forcing players to compromise their personal opinions highlights the intensity of the friction.
It brings to mind Jose Mourinho’s famous observation that Barcelona often seems more preoccupied with Real Madrid than the other way around—a sentiment Boateng’s revelations seem to support.
