Jérôme Boateng

Jérôme Agyenim Boateng (born 3 September 1988) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Lyon.

Boateng started his career at Hertha BSC where he developed from the youth ranks to the main team. After his first season at Hertha, he soon signed for Hamburger SV and established himself as an integral part of the team, helping Hamburg reach two consecutive UEFA Europa League semi-finals. After one season in England with Manchester City, he joined Bayern Munich in 2011 and has since won domestic and European honors with the club, notably the continental treble in the 2012–13 and 2019–20 seasons. His contract ran out on 30 June 2021 and since became a free agent.

Boateng played in the Germany under-21 side, which won the 2009 Euro U-21 Championship and was soon promoted to the national side. Boateng has since accumulated over 70 caps and represented Germany at UEFA Euro 2012, Euro 2016, 2010 World Cup, 2014 World Cup, and 2018 World Cup. He was a key member of his country's victory in the 2014 World Cup. He is the younger half-brother of fellow footballer Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Club career

Early career

Boateng started his career with the youth team of Tennis Borussia Berlin, before joining Hertha BSC in 2002.

Hertha BSC

After emerging from the youth team set-up, he played for the reserves for two seasons. He scored one goal in nine appearances in the 2005–06 seasonand made 15 appearances in the 2006–07 season. He won a call-up to the first-team squad on 31 January 2007. He made his debut against Hannover 96 in the AWD-Arena, during week 19 of the 2006–07 Bundesliga season. He then became a first-team regular, despite being barely 18 years of age. He finished the 2006–07 season with 11 appearances for the first team.

Boateng was linked with a move to Hamburger SV in the summer of 2007.[8] Because of this, according to the German media, Boateng did not want to sign a five-year professional contract with Hertha.[citation needed]

Hamburger SV

Boateng with Hamburger SV in 2009

Boateng moved to Hamburg on 22 August 2007 for a fee said to be around €1.1 million. Boateng spent two successful years at Hamburg, where he would go on to become an important part of the side's defense in the 2008–09 season which saw Hamburg in the race for the Bundesliga title, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League in both his years at the club. He had made 37 appearances during the 2007–08 season. and 35 appearances during the 2008–09 season. In the 2009–10 season, he broke into the Germany national side after impressing for Hamburg, earning himself a place in the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He finished the 2009–10 season with a goal in 41 appearances.

Manchester City

On 5 June 2010, English Premier League club Manchester City confirmed the transfer of Boateng to the English club for £10.4 million on a five-year deal, where he wore his favored number 17 shirt.He made his City debut in a pre-season friendly against Valencia for the first half, alternating between center-back and right-back with Micah Richards. After an impressive run, down the right flank, he provided the assisting cross for Gareth Barry to score.[citation needed]

During the week prior to the start of the 2010–11 Premier League season, Boateng suffered an injury setback on international duty with Germany during a friendly against Denmark. He tore a tendon in his left knee, which was then aggravated on the plane home after a collision with a drinks trolley.

He made his debut for Manchester City with a substitute appearance during a 1–0 victory against Chelsea on 25 September 2010. He followed this with a first competitive start in a 1–1 Europa League draw with Juventus, playing at right-back. In his one season with City, Boateng made 24 appearances. He also won the 2010–11 FA Cup despite not being a member of the matchday squad for the final

2015–16 season

Boateng started the 2015–16 season by playing in the German Super Cup.[34] He picked up a red card against 1899 Hoffenheim on 22 August 2015.On 18 December, Boateng signed a new contract with Bayern, keeping him at the club until 2021. He finished the 2015–16 season with 31 appearances.

2016–17 season

On 20 December 2016, Boateng suffered pectoral muscle tendon and was out for almost three months. On 11 March 2017, Boateng made his return after 108 days as a substitute by replacing Javi Martínez in the 64th minute in a 3–0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. On 14 April 2017, head coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that Boateng was ruled out of the away match in the league against Bayer Leverkusen due to adductor problem. He made his return on 20 May 2017, Boateng sustained muscle injury and was subbed off just after 11 minutes in the last match of the season where Bayern won 4–1 against SC Freiburg. He finished the 2016–17 season with 21 appearances.

2017–18 season

On 13 September 2017, Boateng made his comeback after 115 days on the sidelines in the Champions League match and provided one assist to Joshua Kimmich's late goal after being subbed on in a 3–0 victory over Anderlecht. On 21 December, Boateng scored a header in a 2–1 win as his side knocked their fierce rival Borussia Dortmund out of the DFB-Pokal during the round of 16 match. On 27 January 2018, Boateng scored another header in the league match and his first league goal since November 2013 as his side made a comeback from two goal behind to finish the game with a 5–2 victory over 1899 Hoffenheim. Boateng made his 250th appearance for the club in a 6–0 victory over Hamburg on 10 March. On 11 April, Boateng and his teammate Thomas Müller made their 100th European appearance in the Champions League match against Sevilla as the game finished 0–0 draw. On 26 April, Boateng suffered thigh muscle injury during the Champions League semi-final first leg match against Real Madrid in which the game ended 2–1 loss for his sides and the injury made him miss all the remaining matches of the season.[49] He finished the 2017–18 season with two goals in 31 appearances.

2018–19 season

Boateng entered the season injury-free and started the season strong as he played every minute of Bayern's first three Bundesliga matches. During the first half of the season, Boateng was rotated along with Bayern's other two centre-backs, Mats Hummels and Niklas Süle. Boateng lost his place in the starting lineup as Bayern's coach, Niko Kovač, decided that Hummels and Süle were his first option. After the winter break, Boateng was linked to other clubs as he was reported to be unhappy with his position at Bayern.

On 18 May 2019, Boateng won his seventh consecutive Bundesliga title as Bayern finished two points above Dortmund with 78 points. A week later, Boateng won his fourth DFB-Pokal as Bayern defeated RB Leipzig 3–0 in the 2019 DFB-Pokal Final. Boateng did not appear in the match as he was an unused substitute. He finished the 2018–19 season without scoring in 28 appearances.

2019–20 season

On 14 December 2019, Boateng made his 300th appearance for Bayern in a match against Werder Bremen.

Boateng also regained his place in the starting XI, often partnering up with David Alaba, after Niklas Süle suffered a long-term injury in October 2019 and Bayern's new signing Lucas Hernandez suffered from minor injuries. He regained his form in this season and performed very well, completing his second continental treble.

2020–21 season

On 3 November 2020, Boateng scored his first goal of the season in a 6–2 away win over Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League.

In April 2021, Bayern's sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić stated that Boateng's contract would expire in the summer and would not be extended.

Lyon

On 1 September 2021, Boateng joined French side Lyon on a free transfer. He signed a contract until 30 June 2023.

Personal life

Boateng in 2013

Boateng is a Ghanaian German, born to a German mother named Martina Boateng and a Ghanaian father in Berlin.He is the younger, paternal half-brother of fellow professional footballer Kevin-Prince Boateng. He also has an elder brother, George, who played for the youth sides at Hertha BSC but did not become a professional player.

Boateng was in a long-term relationship with Sherin Senler, with whom he has twin daughters. The pair separated for a couple of years but reunited in November 2013, to only have an on-off relationship. Boateng allegedly had an affair with model Gina-Lisa Lohfink, which both Boateng and Lohfink have denied. He had a son in 2015.

In 2019, Boateng began a relationship with Polish-born model Kasia Lenhardt. In February 2021, following a public spat between the two after Lenhardt crashed Boateng's Mini Cooper and was charged with driving under the influence, Boateng announced the two were separating. Their relationship had already become publicly sour, with Boateng accusing the model of sabotaging a previous relationship and blackmailing him to stay with her.On 10 February, one week after the confirmed breakup, Lenhardt was found dead in an apartment in Berlin, with investigators believing the cause of death to be suicide. Boateng, who was in Qatar playing in the FIFA Club World Cup with Bayern Munich at the time, was then confirmed to have departed the country due to personal reasons by the club.

On 9 September 2021 in a German court in Munich, Boateng was found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Sherin Senler, while on holiday in the Caribbean in 2018 and was ordered to pay a fine of €1.8 million (£1.5 million). The Munich District Court imposed the highest possible financial damages for the domestic violence conviction on Boateng, who had denied the allegations of abuse.