Germany vs. Ghana World Cup 2014: A Sibling Rivalry For The Ages

In what may be the greatest sibling rivalry in sports since Peyton and Eli Manning, brothers, Kevin-Prince and Jerome Boateng square off against each other when Ghana faces Germany in Group G on Saturday Afternoon.

This will be the second ever meeting between the two brothers. The first was when they faced each other in the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Jerome Boateng and Germany took Round 1 on a 1-0 victory, but it was months before that epic showdown that marked the first time in World Cup history that two siblings ever played against each other that changed their relationship forever.

Before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the brothers, born in Berlin by different mothers, were the best of friends. They spoke to each other daily and consistently supported each other throughout their careers.

That all changed in 2010 when Kevin-Prince Boateng committed a rough foul on Chelsea’s Michael Ballack during the 2010 FA Cup Final. Ballack was Germany’s captain and best player. The foul by Boateng caused Ballack severe ankle and ligament damage that caused him to not only miss the 2010 World Cup but also ultimately the chance to ever play for the German National Team again.

That made Kevin-Prince Boateng public enemy No. 1 throughout his home country of Germany and led to him choosing to play for his father’s home country of Ghana during the 2010 World Cup.

Naturally as most Shakespearean dramas play out, Ghana made it through the World Cup’s first two rounds only to meet Germany in the quarterfinals. It was before the match that Kevin-Prince solidified his role as a villain in the eyes of German fans when he criticized the German team before the match.

“Germany has world-class players in every position and that is their main problem,” Kevin-Prince said. “They have so many good players and need to win the World Cup or at least make it to the final. You need characters when you go into a tournament with so much pressure. I don’t see anyone who could handle this and might be able to carry the team along.”

Kevin-Prince, essentially calling the German team “leaderless”, angered the nation and tested the loyalty of his brother. Boateng chose not to condemn his brother as the German faithful were doing, but he did voice his disproval with his brother for the tackle he made that injured Ballack.

This infuriated Kevin-Prince who believed his brother should have had his back regarding the incident.

“After the things he said about my foul on Michael Ballack, we fell out.” Kevin-Prince said. “We see the event differently. I said to him that we should go our separate ways.”

Jerome agreed and responded by publicly saying, “I don’t want any more contact with him. Kevin thought I should have defended him and criticized Ballack. Now I don’t care what he does. It really doesn’t interest me anymore.”

Thus the siblings parted their separate ways and have not spoken before their Group G meeting Saturday in Fortaleza. Growing up, Jerome displayed no interest in representing his father’s birthplace of Ghana at the international level. Kevin-Prince did however, and chose a different path for himself since the incident at the FA Cup Final.

When the two siblings meet again on Saturday, there will be more at stake than who pays for dinner on Father’s day. Germany will be looking to secure the spot in the second round with a win after destroying Portugal 4-0 in their opening match. Ghana on the other hand, is fighting for their survival after losing a heartbreaker to the United States 2-1. If Ghana has any chance of making it out of group play, they have to win and in order to do so; they need Kevin-Prince to better his brother.

“It’s like in Ancient Rome. There will be people around the pitch who want to see how two teams fight. The team who wants it more will win and we will fight to the death against Germany.” Kevin-Prince said, drudging up images of the movie "Gladiator."

There’s no doubt that Saturday’s battle on the pitch will be fierce, hard fought, and full of intensity. Both brothers will put aside blood to represent the respective countries of their choosing. As for their father, Ghanian-born Prince Boateng, he claims he has it easy, “Regardless of what happens, I can only win. My only wish is that nobody gets hurt.”