Boateng left 'sad' after politician's controversial comments

While he refused to go into more detail, Jerome Boateng admitted he was left saddened after hearing Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) politician Alexander Gauland's controversial comments towards him.

Gauland, the deputy leader of the anti-immigration party, was quoted by newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung as saying "people like Boateng as a footballer, but wouldn't want to live next to someone like him" in an apparent reference to the Bayern Munich defender's foreign roots.

Boateng was born in Berlin to a German mother and Ghanaian father, and has represented the German national team over 50 times since 2009, including their successful 2014 World Cup campaign. 

When asked about his thoughts on the comments, Boateng responded: "I do not assess it. Honestly I don't have anything to say about this. I can only laugh.

"It's sad that these things still happen nowadays.

"But I have heard and seen enough positive things [towards him]."