Hertha Berlin forward, Kevin-Prince Boateng has revealed that leaving the Bundesliga at a tender age affected his Germany career.
Boateng had represented Germany at the youth levels, playing for the U19, U20 and U21 but decided to switch allegiance to play for the country of his father, Ghana.
The 34-year-old left the Bundesliga at age 20 and was one of the hottest prospects in European football as he joined English side Tottenham.
"I was 20 years old, a regular - it was all good. I was at home, my family was here. I should have stayed here for another two or three years, then maybe I would have become a German national player,” Boateng told Hetha Berlin's official website.
He later became the prodigal son of German football after his tackle on then Die Manshaft captain Michael Ballack ruled him out of the 2010 World Cup.
However, he was an unlikely hero for Ghana, playing a key role as the Black Stars reached the quarter finals of the World Cup in South Africa.
Four years later, he had to be sacked from camp at the World Cup in Brazil for indiscipline.