The 24-year-old says a goal was long overdue after he netted the decisive winner over Dusseldorf at the weekend but there were other things for him to smile about
Jerome Boateng has revealed his relief and delight at finally being able to open his account for Bayern Munich, but it was not just the only thing he had to celebrate this weekend.
The 24-year-old marked his 130th appearance in Germany’s top flight with a late winner in Saturday’s pulsating 3-2 win over Dusseldorf, a victory which edges Bayern nearer to stripping rivals Borussia Dortmund of their Bundesliga crown.
Boateng had also failed to find the net during spells with Hamburg as well as Hertha Berlin, and speaking to Bundesliga.com, the Germany international spoke of his delight having broken his duck in German football.
“It feels great. It was about time I scored. I’ve always worked on my finishing in training and today it finally happened – it was perfect,” he said.
“Yesterday it was my kid’s birthday and it’s my dad’s today, so I’m dedicating this goal to them. They’re three great reasons to celebrate, but I’m also really pleased with the team’s performance after twice coming back from a goal down.”
The former Manchester City defender also noted the importance of registering a morale-boosting victory domestically ahead of turning their attentions to European commitments for Wednesday’s visit of Arsenal in the Champions League.
“As a team, we showed great spirit. The way we came back is important in the context of Wednesday’s game against Arsenal. We’re feeling positive and full of confidence,” he added.
Bayern go into the conclusion of their round-of-16 tie with the Premier League giants huge favourites to progress to the quarter-finals, having earned a 3-1 victory at the Emirates three weeks ago.