George Boateng
Boateng as a player of FC Middlesbrough (2008)
George Boateng ( born September 5, 1975 in Nkawkaw, Ghana ) is a Dutch footballer of Ghanaian origin, which currently stands at UPB - My Team FC in Malaysia under contract. Boateng joined after his career start in the Netherlands in the English Premier League and played there from 1997 to 2010 383 games for Coventry City, Aston Villa, FC Middlesbrough and Hull City. Best Merits of the four-time Dutch international's were winning the English League Cup in 2004 and reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2006.
Career
Career start in the Netherlands and establishment in the Premier League, and 2002
A native of Ghana Boateng started his professional career in the 1994/95 season at Excelsior Rotterdam and arrived at nine appearances in the second-rate Eerste Divisie. In summer 1995, he joined the leading club Feyenoord Rotterdam, who maintained a partnership with Excelsior. Boateng established already in his first season at Feyenoord as starting player, a title left him but denied. Half a year before his contract expired, he left the Eredivisie in December 1997 and transferred for a transfer of £ 250,000 to the English first division club Coventry City.
The reigning at that time captain of the Dutch U-21 National team was recognized immediately even at Coventry in the core team firmly. As Abräumer and ball distributor in midfield he was a crucial factor that Coventry could detach from the relegation battle early on and the Premier League finished in eleventh place in the table in 1997/98. In the 1998/99 season Boateng was unable to build on his form from last season and lost his place in the midfield headquarters in November temporarily to the Belgian Philippe Clement. He was ordered into the right midfield manager Gordon Strachan At the turn out was a position on the Boateng Although still mostly high use and scoring came in the victories against Liverpool, Aston Villa and Southampton FC, but in April listless after a appearance publicly expressed, rather aground in central midfield.
A few weeks later, he was brought by John Gregory for a transfer fee of £ 4.5 million to Premier League rivals Aston Villa. Also there came Boateng first in right midfield for use only after a violation of Dion Dublin, he moved to the preferred location and six belonged to the order in which the performers of Villa - Eleven. Besides Rank 6 in the Premier League season 1999/2000 he reached with Villa the semi-finals of the League Cup, where they lost Leicester City and as the culmination of the final of the FA Cup 1999/2000, the last at Wembley before its new building in which Chelsea but won 1-0. Boateng was also in the following two seasons, a fixture in the team of Aston Villa and was on 10 November 2001 in a friendly match against Denmark his debut for the Dutch national team. Disagreement with Graham Taylor, who took over as coach in February 2002, eventually led to Boateng's departure in the summer of 2002.
Success with Middlesbrough, 2002-2008
Steve McClaren, head coach of FC Middlesbrough, the services of the 27 -year-old Dutchman were worth £ 5 million. Boateng was also in Middlesbrough immediately starting players in central midfield, and spent with the club 's most successful years the club's history. 2004, the team won by a 2-1 win against Bolton Wanderers to the League Cup and thus the first national title of the Association; the supporters of the club selected him in the episode "Player of the Year." By winning the title, the club was also the first time allowed to start for a European competition and came in the UEFA Cup 2004/ 05 to the second round before. With a seventh place in the Premier League 2004/ 05, the best championship position since 30 years, we also qualified for the UEFA Cup in 2005/ 06 and reached as group winners into the knockout phase. There is first turned on the VfB Stuttgart and AS Roma by the away goals rule, and then turned against FC Basel ( quarterfinals ) and Steaua Bucharest ( semi-final ) each have a temporary 0-3 down and drew for the first time in a European Cup final. In the Philips stadium in Eindhoven, the Spanish side FC Sevilla proved too strong and won the title with a 4-0 success. Due to the international appearances and once again become the focus of national coach, Boateng came in December 2005 for the first time since February 2002 back to a international duty and also played in March 2006 in a preseason game for the Football World Cup in 2006 against Ecuador. In the favor of coach Boateng came but throughout his career of players like Phillip Cocu, Edgar Davids, Paul Bosvelt or Mark van Bommel not over and was disregarded for the 2006 World Cup.
For Premier League 2006/ 07 of the current team captain Gareth Southgate took over as coach at Boro and handed the captain's armband on Boateng. Also among his former teammates Southgate Boateng was with his strong tackling and pass security one of the pillars of the team, a repeat of the success of the previous seasons failed to materialize. After it should have come in January 2008 to a training battle between Southgate and Boateng, Boateng dismissed the coach of his captaincy and thus heralded the departure of midfielder an end of the season.
Relegation battle with Hull and move to Greece, 2008-2011
Erstligaaufsteiger Hull City Boateng secured in the summer of 2008 for a million pounds transfer fee. The League newbie, first class in the 104- year history, the Premier League began in 2008 /09 with a high-altitude flight and stood after the ninth matchday 20 points in third place in the standings, highlight of the season opener was a 2-1 win at Arsenal. During the following ten game days until the return start of the round, only seven points were added. Turning point of the season was a 1:5 match ( Halftime score was 0:4 ) at Manchester City on the 19th match day, when coach Phil Brown decided to keep the half -time team talk on the pitch right in front of the traveling fans. In the second half, the missed Boateng injury to a large extent, the team won only eight more points, and had 35 points with one point clear of the relegation zone first. In the following season, the results of the team barely improved, the entire season in a relegation battle broke out between Brown and Boateng after a 1:6 defeat on 7 game against Liverpool already a rift. Boateng, who wore the captain's armband in the game as a representative of the injured Ian Ashbee long, was made specifically responsible for the high loss of Brown and a month no longer considered. Even under Brown's successor Iain Dowie, who took over the team on match day 31 and Boateng again made captain, the trend was no longer possible and for Boateng ended its first season on the relegation zone.
He decided to break in the season against a stay in England - had expressed an interest among other Erstligaaufsteiger West Bromwich Albion - but changed after 13 seasons in the Premier League for Greek first division club Skoda Xanthi. At the time of his departure Boateng was with 383 Premier League inserts non- British record fielder, only the two goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer ( Australia) and Shay Given ( Ireland) denied until the summer of 2010 as a foreigner more games in 1992 created the English elite class. His stay in Greece lasted only a year, after 19 missions and two goals he left the club in the summer of 2011.
Return to England, since 2011
Boateng kept fit in the sequence at professional clubs in England and was piloted by his former Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren to the English second division Nottingham Forest, where he signed a one -year contract. Once, however, he was used in only five games, his contract was not renewed after the season. After several months without a club, Boateng moved in November to Malaysia for UPB - My Team FC.
Achievements
- League Cup winner: 2004
- FA Cup finalist: 2000
- UEFA Cup finalist: 2006