Sassuolo star Kevin Prince-Boateng has joked that he returned to Serie A because of his love of Italian cuisine.
The former Ghana international returned to Serie A on a free transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt, two years after leaving AC Milan for Las Palmas.
Boateng has enjoyed a successful start to the campaign, with two goals to help unbeaten Sassuolo to second, but revealed there were other factors beyond football that persuaded him to join the Neroverdi.
“Compared to Frankfurt, I am just a motorway away from Milan [where his family live],” Boateng told Bild.
“Also, there is pasta here. Very, very good pasta. I recently went to a restaurant and it was so good that I had to go into the kitchen and hug the chef. Such good food is not normal and I have to be wary not to get fat.”
However, the 31-year-old also admitted that a change in attitude contributed to him maintaining good form over the past few seasons.
“I have to say that in the past three or four years I’ve been working harder,” Boateng continued. “Previously, I had not been disciplined enough.
“We must always be professional, even off the pitch. For my career so far, I would give it a seven out of 10. Sometimes I have approached eight, but at times it’s dropped below five.”
The former Portsmouth midfielder will be looking to help Sassuolo shock Juventus in a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday.
