Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng has disclosed how special it was for him to visit his roots following a difficult year in his career.

Boateng endured a frustrating World Cup in Russia this year, as well as a difficult first half of the German Bundesliga, which sees Bayern Munich sit third after the first round.

“2018 comes to an end, and admitted, I’m happy about it. For me personally, it was a very difficult year, I will probably never well and certainly not like to remember it. Sporting, I have lagged far behind my own expectations," he posted on Instagram.

"The World Cup in Russia was one of the most disappointing experiences of my career. It took a long time for me to leave the university, meanwhile, I have processed it and learned from it."

"With Bayern Munich we won the championship for the sixth time in a row, but unfortunately lost the cup final. The Champions League knocked me out twice, we lost as a team and I lost as a single as I hurt myself in the first leg."

The German born of Ghanaian descent has been in the West African nation for a couple of days, where he has been involved in some philanthropic works.

Boateng revealed how important it was for him to travel to Ghana and admits it was a special end to the year for him.

"Privately, I had to struggle with some things and as much as one tries to separate private from the profession, it does not always work out as you imagine. I wish it would have been better sometimes," he continued.

"I’ve learned a lot, I’m feeling physically better in the last few weeks and I’m on my way back to the old top form.

"Criticism and doubts that have come up to me, I take as a motivation, because I’m still far from exhausted.

The goal has always been and still is very simple, since I am a professional athlete. We want to be there in all competitions until the very end and fight for the titles. We all know that it will be difficult.

"But winning titles has never been so easy, so let’s go ahead. My personal financial statements were very emotional and educational with my trip to Ghana.

"It touched me a lot to experience the warmth and hospitality of the people in Ghana and to get to know our roots better together with my family.

"This difficult year was at least a very special end. Thanks to everyone who supports me and believes in me. Happy new year!”