Stat experts Opta explain how Kevin-Prince Boateng has flourished in Italy with AC Milan after an unconvincing spell in the English game.
Hailed as one of the hottest prospects in European football on his arrival at Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2007, Kevin-Prince Boateng failed to live up to this billing during his time in England, firstly with Spurs and then with Portsmouth. However since his move from the Premier League to AC Milan, his career has blossomed.
Boateng has now played more minutes in just one-and-a-half seasons in Serie A (2,591) than he managed in three fruitless years in the Premier League with Tottenham and Pompey (2,445) and has scored four goals more (seven compared to three), despite having almost exactly the same number of shots (56 to 55).
Arsenal, Milan's opponents in the Round of 16, should also watch out for the dynamic Ghanaian given that he has had the most shots for Milan in the UEFA Champions League this season (14 - only Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had more, with 17) and has scored twice (both goals feature in our Top 10 Goals of the Group Stage video compilation).
Passing mastered
His creativity has also improved, with five assists in Serie A compared to two in the Premier League, likely as a result of his increased passing stats in the final third: his pass completion rating has gone up from 67.8% to 73.5%, though he has attempted fewer dribbles – he attempted 63 in England, but just 51 in Italy; perhaps this indicates that he has become a more diciplined footballer who uses his team-mates better.
So far this season Boateng has netted seven goals in all competitions, which is already two more than in any previous campaign in his professional career, although indiscipline remains a problem: he has already been sent off twice in the league. Moreover, the fact that three of his goals came in one incredible game, when he came on as a substitute with Milan 3-0 down away at Lecce, bagging a hat-trick to level the scores by the 63rd minute in a match which the Rossoneri eventually won 4-3, leaves it open to debate as to whether he is just enjoying a purple patch of form or whether his class is finally beginning to show in Italy's top flight: a solid performance against Arsenal over two legs would go some way to silencing his remaining critics.
Watch AC Milan v Arsenal live on ITV1HD, ITV1 and ITV.com on Wednesday 15th February from 7.30pm