Derek Boateng
Encyclopedia
Derek Owusu Boateng is a Ghana
ian professional footballer, who currently plays as a midfielder
for Ukrainian
club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
in the Ukrainian Premier League and the Ghana national team
.
Originally a striker or winger, Boateng has moved further down the pitch and is currently considered a defensive midfielder in his club, due to the position slightly behind the other midfielders he tends to have during the game. While he is not a traditional holding midfielder, his ability to hold the ball and make the opening passes makes him suitable for that position.
, Greater Accra
, and joined the youth academy of local side Liberty Professionals at the age of 10 in 1993. He signed for Kalamata F.C. in Greece when he was 16. Kalamata stopped him from appearing in the Under-17 World Cup in 1999 in New Zealand
.
Steve McClaren
, as assistant manager for Manchester United
, had seen Boateng as an opponent in the Champions League
, and when McClaren became the manager of Middlesbrough
in 2002, he tried to sign him. Panathinaikos accepted, but as Boateng was not playing regularly for the Ghana national football team
, he was unable to receive a work permit.
In 2002, Boateng was unable to keep his place in the Panathinaikos squad and was sent on loan to OFI Crete
, another Greek Super League team.
, and after months of negotiations he signed for AIK in August 2003. He was injured in his first game, and had a poor season.
The 2004 season saw AIK being relegated from Allsvenskan
for only the third time in the history of the club. Boateng, the rest of the squad and organisation received massive criticism from both media and AIK fans, requiring police escort from the arena several times when AIK had performed poorly.
Before the start of the 2005 campaign, Boateng was deemed an unaffordable expense and he therefore used his preseason training time in search of a new club in Europe. However, he failed to find himself a new club and remained at AIK. AIK manager Rikard Norling
considered Boateng unfit and only allowed him to play regular season matches after committing to an extensive physical training program. Boateng later became a regular in the first-team line-up during the second half of the season, and AIK gained promotion after winning the Superettan
in style, distancing runners-up Östers IF
by nine points. Boateng extended his contract with AIK for one more year until the end of 2007. When he left for Beitar Jerusalem, Boateng stated in an interview that he loves Sweden and AIK, and that he one day will come back to Allsvenskan and AIK the team he supports.
The 2007–08 season started off poorly for Boateng, as he got sent off during Beitar Jerusalem's first official game of the season, in leg one of the second qualifying round for the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, away to F.C. Copenhagen
. Beitar Jerusalem lost 2–1 on aggregate and were eliminated. As the season continued, Boateng's form improved and played a very important role in a season that ended with another championship for Beitar Jerusalem. At the Israel State Cup
final, Boateng missed a penalty in a thrilling penalty shootout against Hapoel Tel-Aviv, but Beitar Jerusalem secured the title with a 5–4 win at the shootout, and secured an historical double
. Boateng contributed five league goals and one assist and was voted Best Foreign Player of the Year.
The 2008–09 season started with yet another early elimination at the secondnd qualification round for the UEFA Champions League
, this time with a 5–0 away defeat to Wisła Kraków, and 6–2 in aggregate. This defeat led to a crisis for Beitar Jerusalem, and financial uncertainty caused the sale of Boateng to 1. FC Köln
at the January transfer window.
. However, on 31 July 2009, Getafe CF
signed him from Köln for one million euros. He stayed at the Spanish club for just over two seasons, making 61 appearances and scoring 2 goals.
, signing a four-year contract. After a promising start for Boateng, Dnipro face competition from the side that eliminated them from the 2011-12 UEFA Europa League, Fulham F.C.
, as Fulham are reportedly looking to secure Boateng on loan for the remainder of the season.
, where he took his country to the final. After participating in a friendly with Ghana against French club Nice
, he was selected for the Ghana squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
. He made his first FIFA World Cup
appearance on 17 June 2006, when he replaced Otto Addo at half-time in the 2–0 win against the Czech Republic
. He was also selected for the national team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, in which Ghana progressed to the quarterfinals.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian professional footballer, who currently plays as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Football Club Dnipro is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Dnipropetrovsk.-BRIT:The club's franchise traces its history all the way back when the first team that was formed in 1918 by the Petrovsky factory and was called as BRIT . The team participated in the regional competition...
in the Ukrainian Premier League and the Ghana national team
Ghana national football team
The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association...
.
Originally a striker or winger, Boateng has moved further down the pitch and is currently considered a defensive midfielder in his club, due to the position slightly behind the other midfielders he tends to have during the game. While he is not a traditional holding midfielder, his ability to hold the ball and make the opening passes makes him suitable for that position.
Early career
Boateng was born and grew up in AccraAccra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, Greater Accra
Greater Accra Region
The Greater Accra Region is the smallest of Ghana's 10 administrative regions in terms of area, occupying a total land surface of 3,245 square kilometres or 1.4 per cent of the total land area of Ghana...
, and joined the youth academy of local side Liberty Professionals at the age of 10 in 1993. He signed for Kalamata F.C. in Greece when he was 16. Kalamata stopped him from appearing in the Under-17 World Cup in 1999 in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Greece
In 2001, Boateng signed for Panathinaikos, a leading Greek Super League club, where he played as an attacker or an attacking midfielder.Steve McClaren
Steve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
, as assistant manager for Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, had seen Boateng as an opponent in the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, and when McClaren became the manager of Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
in 2002, he tried to sign him. Panathinaikos accepted, but as Boateng was not playing regularly for the Ghana national football team
Ghana national football team
The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association...
, he was unable to receive a work permit.
In 2002, Boateng was unable to keep his place in the Panathinaikos squad and was sent on loan to OFI Crete
OFI Crete
OFI , the Sportfriends Association Heraklion, is a Greek association football club based in Heraklion, on the island of Crete. Outside Greece, the club is generally known as OFI Crete F.C., however, the name Crete is not actually part of the club's official title.OFI is the club with most...
, another Greek Super League team.
AIK
Boateng's agent, Patrik Mörk, suggested that he could join the Swedish team AIKAIK Fotboll
AIK, , an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben, , when needed internationally AIK Stockholm, is a Swedish football club based at Råsunda stadium in Solna, a municipality in Stockholm County bordering to Stockholm City Centre...
, and after months of negotiations he signed for AIK in August 2003. He was injured in his first game, and had a poor season.
The 2004 season saw AIK being relegated from Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
for only the third time in the history of the club. Boateng, the rest of the squad and organisation received massive criticism from both media and AIK fans, requiring police escort from the arena several times when AIK had performed poorly.
Before the start of the 2005 campaign, Boateng was deemed an unaffordable expense and he therefore used his preseason training time in search of a new club in Europe. However, he failed to find himself a new club and remained at AIK. AIK manager Rikard Norling
Rikard Norling
Rikard Norling is a Swedish football manager and the current manager of Malmö FF in Allsvenskan.Forced to retire early from his professional playing career due to an injury Norling started a coaching career at the age of 22...
considered Boateng unfit and only allowed him to play regular season matches after committing to an extensive physical training program. Boateng later became a regular in the first-team line-up during the second half of the season, and AIK gained promotion after winning the Superettan
Superettan
Superettan is the second highest league in the league system of Swedish football and comprises 16 Swedish football teams. It was created in 2000. Before that, the second level league in Sweden had been Division 1....
in style, distancing runners-up Östers IF
Östers IF
Östers IF is a Swedish football club located in Växjö. The club, formed 20 April 1930 , is currently playing in the second Swedish league called Superettan. In 1968, Öster won Allsvenskan as newcomers. The club is affiliated to the Smålands Fotbollförbund...
by nine points. Boateng extended his contract with AIK for one more year until the end of 2007. When he left for Beitar Jerusalem, Boateng stated in an interview that he loves Sweden and AIK, and that he one day will come back to Allsvenskan and AIK the team he supports.
Beitar Jerusalem
In July 2006, he signed with Beitar Jerusalem until January 2009. Boateng immediately became an integral player in Beitar Jerusalem's starting lineup, and while playing as the team's central midfielder, was one of the most efficient players in the Israeli Premier League, helping Beitar Jerusalem to win the league for the fifth time in their history, and for the first time for 10 years, contributing four goals in the campaign.The 2007–08 season started off poorly for Boateng, as he got sent off during Beitar Jerusalem's first official game of the season, in leg one of the second qualifying round for the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, away to F.C. Copenhagen
F.C. Copenhagen
F.C. Copenhagen is a professional Danish football club in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is part of the Parken Sport & Entertainment....
. Beitar Jerusalem lost 2–1 on aggregate and were eliminated. As the season continued, Boateng's form improved and played a very important role in a season that ended with another championship for Beitar Jerusalem. At the Israel State Cup
Israel State Cup
The State Cup , is a knockout cup competition in Israeli football, run by the Israeli Football Association.The State Cup was first held in 1927–28 as the Palestine Cup...
final, Boateng missed a penalty in a thrilling penalty shootout against Hapoel Tel-Aviv, but Beitar Jerusalem secured the title with a 5–4 win at the shootout, and secured an historical double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
. Boateng contributed five league goals and one assist and was voted Best Foreign Player of the Year.
The 2008–09 season started with yet another early elimination at the secondnd qualification round for the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, this time with a 5–0 away defeat to Wisła Kraków, and 6–2 in aggregate. This defeat led to a crisis for Beitar Jerusalem, and financial uncertainty caused the sale of Boateng to 1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
at the January transfer window.
Köln and Getafe
On 21 January 2009, Boateng signed a four-year contract with 1. FC Köln1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
. However, on 31 July 2009, Getafe CF
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....
signed him from Köln for one million euros. He stayed at the Spanish club for just over two seasons, making 61 appearances and scoring 2 goals.
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
On 20 June 2011, Boateng completed a move to Ukrainian club FC Dnipro DnipropetrovskFC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Football Club Dnipro is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Dnipropetrovsk.-BRIT:The club's franchise traces its history all the way back when the first team that was formed in 1918 by the Petrovsky factory and was called as BRIT . The team participated in the regional competition...
, signing a four-year contract. After a promising start for Boateng, Dnipro face competition from the side that eliminated them from the 2011-12 UEFA Europa League, Fulham F.C.
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
, as Fulham are reportedly looking to secure Boateng on loan for the remainder of the season.
International career
While playing for Panathinaikos in 2001, Boateng also played for the Ghana national football team at the FIFA World Youth Championship in ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, where he took his country to the final. After participating in a friendly with Ghana against French club Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, he was selected for the Ghana squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. He made his first FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
appearance on 17 June 2006, when he replaced Otto Addo at half-time in the 2–0 win against the Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
. He was also selected for the national team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, in which Ghana progressed to the quarterfinals.
Honours
- SuperettanSuperettanSuperettan is the second highest league in the league system of Swedish football and comprises 16 Swedish football teams. It was created in 2000. Before that, the second level league in Sweden had been Division 1....
(1):- 2005
- Israeli Premier League
- 2006-07, 2007–08
- Israel State CupIsrael State CupThe State Cup , is a knockout cup competition in Israeli football, run by the Israeli Football Association.The State Cup was first held in 1927–28 as the Palestine Cup...
(1):- 20082007–08 Israel State CupThe 2007–08 Israel State Cup was the seventy-five season of Israel's nationwide football cup competition and the fifty-four after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. It started on September 28, 2007...
- 2008
External links
- Derek Boateng at aik.se