Derek Boateng

Derek Boateng

Personal information
Full name	Derek Owusu Boateng
Date of birth	2 May 1983 (1983-05-02) (age 28)
Place of birth	Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Number	36
Youth career
1993–1999	Liberty Professionals
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1999–2001	Kalamata	27	(9)
2001–2003	Panathinaikos	24	(3)
2002–2003	→ OFI Crete (loan)	12	(1)
2003–2006	AIK	55	(5)
2006–2008	Beitar Jerusalem	72	(8)
2009	1. FC Köln	10	(0)
2009–2011	Getafe	61	(2)
2011–	Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk	1	(0)
National team‡
2001–	Ghana	29	(3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 December 2010. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 9 May 2010

Derek Owusu Boateng (born 2 May 1983) is a Ghanaian 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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

Club career

Early career

Boateng was born and grew up in Accra, Greater Accra, and joined the youth academy of local side Liberty Professionals at the age of 10 in 1993.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

Greece

In 2001, Boateng signed for Panathinaikos, a leading Greek Super League club, where he played as an attacker or an attacking midfielder.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]} Panathinaikos accepted, but as Boateng was not playing regularly for the Ghana national football team, he was unable to receive a work permit.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[1]

AIK

Boateng's agent, Patrik Mörk, suggested that he could join the Swedish team AIK, and after months of negotiations he signed for AIK in August 2003.^{[citation needed]} He was injured in his first game, and had a poor season.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[2]

Derek Boateng training with 1. FC Köln

Derek Boateng playing for FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

Beitar Jerusalem

In July 2006, he signed with Beitar Jerusalem until January 2009.^[3] 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^{[citation needed]} 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. Beitar Jerusalem lost 2–1 on aggregate and were eliminated. As the season continued, Boateng's form improved and played a very important role^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

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^{[citation needed]} the sale of Boateng to 1. FC Köln at the January transfer window.

Köln and Getafe

On 21 January 2009, Boateng signed a four-year contract with 1. FC Köln.^[4][5] However, on 31 July 2009, Getafe CF signed him from Köln for one million euros.^[6] 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 Dnipropetrovsk, 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.^[7]

International career

While playing for Panathinaikos in 2001, Boateng also played for the Ghana national football team at the FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina, 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.^[8] 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.^[9] He was also selected for the national team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in which Ghana progressed to the quarterfinals.

Honours

• Superettan (1):
  • 2005

• Israeli Premier League
  • 2006-07, 2007–08

• Israel State Cup (1):
  • 2008

Ghana

• FIFA World Youth Championship runner-up: 2001
• FIFA World Cup last 16: 2006

References

1. ^ "Player Profile: Derek Boateng". Ghanaweb. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/soccer/player.php?ID=55. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
2. ^ Molyneux, Ross (29 May 2007). "First up - Derek Boateng". newcastle.vitalfootball.co.uk. http://www.newcastle.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=67350. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
3. ^ "'I'm known as a player who scores important goals'". haaretz.com. 12 December 2006. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/799705.html. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
4. ^ "Introduction of new players by video clip" (in German). 1. FC Köln. http://www.fc-koeln.de/index.php?id=2290. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
5. ^ "Boateng-Transfer perfekt" (in German). transfermarkt.de. 22 January 2009. http://www.transfermarkt.de/de/news/25329/boateng-transfer-perfekt.html. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 
6. ^ "Kölner Fußballer Boateng wechselt nach Getafe" (in German). transfermarkt.de. http://www.transfermarkt.de/de/news/30169/koelner-fussballer-boateng-wechselt-nach-getafe.html. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ http://www.skysports.com/story/0,,11681_7138212,00.html
8. ^ Derek Boateng – FIFA competition record
9. ^ "Cologne Coach To Meet Milo Over Derek Boateng". Ghanaweb. 16 April 2009. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/artikel.php?ID=160644. Retrieved 30 December 2010. 

External links

• Derek Boateng at aik.se (Swedish)

Persondata
Name	Boateng, Derek
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	2 May 1983
Place of birth	Accra, Ghana
Date of death
Place of death