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George Boateng

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George Boateng
Boateng playing for Middlesbrough in 2008
Personal information
Full name George Antwi Boateng[1]
Date of birth (1975-09-05) 5 September 1975 (age 49)
Place of birth Nkawkaw, Ghana
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
Coventry City (first-team coach)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1995 Excelsior 9 (0)
1995–1998 Feyenoord 68 (1)
1998–1999 Coventry City 46 (5)
1999–2002 Aston Villa 103 (4)
2002–2008 Middlesbrough 182 (7)
2008–2010 Hull City 52 (1)
2010–2011 Skoda Xanthi 19 (2)
2011–2012 Nottingham Forest 5 (1)
2012–2013 T-Team 15 (2)
Total 499 (23)
International career
1995–1998 Netherlands U21 18 (0)
2001–2006 Netherlands 4 (0)
Managerial career
2014–2015 Kelantan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

George Antwi Boateng (born 5 September 1975) is a former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently a first-team coach at Coventry City. Born in Ghana and raised in Holland, he made four appearances for the Netherlands national team.

Club career

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Born in Nkawkaw, Ghana, after playing 70 games for Dutch giants Feyenoord, Boateng completed a £220,000 move to Coventry City in 1998. Under the management of Gordon Strachan, he proved himself to be a solid defensive midfielder, helping the attacking Dublin-Huckerby Coventry side of 1998 finish eleventh in the Premier League and enjoy mid table stability. He is still fondly remembered by Sky Blues fans as being responsible for breaking one of Coventry's longstanding hoodoo's-victory at Villa Park: Boateng scored twice in the 4–1 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park on 27 February 1999, ending Coventry's 63-year-long wait for a league win at the ground.

The next season Boateng transferred to Aston Villa for £4.5 million. He proceeded to play 131 matches for Villa, including an FA Cup final defeat against Chelsea in 2000. The tough-tackling central midfielder then fell out with manager Graham Taylor in the 2001–02 season. After a move to Liverpool collapsed due to demands from agents, that summer Boateng completed a £5 million move to Middlesbrough.

Boateng made his full debut on the first day of the 2002–03 season away to Southampton in an uneventful game that finished 0–0. Occupying the defensive midfield position, he became the solid platform upon which Middlesbrough built their attack. He recovered from an ankle operation in the summer of 2003 to be fit for the start of the 2003–04 season. That season, he was part of the Middlesbrough team which lifted the League Cup for the first time.

In the 2004–05 season, he scored his first goal for Middlesbrough in a 4–0 win at Blackburn Rovers on 16 October 2004. However, he was injured for eight weeks with a broken toe; during this period, Middlesbrough dropped from fourth down to ninth in the league. He did recover in time to help Middlesbrough obtain the results they needed for qualification for the UEFA Cup. In a poll on the official Boro website, fans voted him the player most missed due to injury in the 2004–05 season. He started for Middlesbrough in the 2006 UEFA Cup final.

In June 2006 he signed a new three-year contract with Middlesbrough. He was announced as the new club captain on 21 July 2006, replacing Gareth Southgate, who had been promoted to manager. On 10 March 2007, he scored in an FA Cup tie against league leaders Manchester United, his first goal in the tournament since 1999 when he scored for Coventry against Macclesfield Town.

On 22 January 2008, Boateng had his captaincy rescinded by Gareth Southgate. Southgate cited his desire for Boateng to "concentrate on his game". He was replaced as captain by Emanuel Pogatetz.

Hull City announced on 10 July 2008 that Boateng had agreed to sign a contract with them.[2] The move was completed on 16 July, after the completion of a medical. On 6 February 2010, Boateng scored his first career goal for Hull City in a 2–1 win over Manchester City, their first win since November 2009.[3]

Boateng's contract with Hull City came to an end following their relegation from the Premier League in 2010. He was confirmed as having left the club along with former Dutch national teammate Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.

After holding talks with Celtic[4] he joined Greek side Skoda Xanthi on a two-year deal.[5]

On 27 July 2011, it was announced that Boateng had joined Nottingham Forest, on a one-year deal.[6]

Boateng scored his first goal for Nottingham Forest in dramatic fashion, scoring in the 94th minute to grab Forest a point against Leicester City. At the end of June 2012 he left the club.

On 15 November 2012, he arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport to sign a contract with T-Team.[7] Four days later, he signed a one-year contract, linking him again with former Hull City teammate and Republic of Ireland international Caleb Folan.

International career

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Although born in Ghana, Boateng chose to represent the Netherlands at international level,[8] earning four caps in total for Oranje.

Boateng made his international debut for the Netherlands in a 1–1 draw with Denmark in November 2001.

Managerial career

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Kelantan

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In 2014, Boateng was unveiled as the new head coach of Kelantan, replacing Steve Darby, who had been shown the door after a 4–0 loss to Sime Darby[9] On 6 May 2014, Kelantan came back from 3–0 down to draw 3–3 with Felda United in first leg of the Malaysia FA Cup semi-final in Boateng's first game as head coach.[10] Boateng apologised to the Kelantan fans after Kelantan were knocked out of the Malaysia Cup by Kedah with 4–3 aggregate; there were reports saying that he would step down from his role as Kelantan head coach the following season, but that proved to be wrong by Kelantan President, Annuar Musa.[11][12] He was moved to the Technical Director position on 24 March 2015, and his position as head coach was taken by Mohd Azraai Khor Abdullah.[13] Boateng left his post as technical director of Kelantan on 11 May 2015 in order to work as a coach or manager again.

Blackburn Rovers

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On 5 September 2018, Boateng signed on as Under 13's head coach at Championship club Blackburn Rovers where he coached different age groups at the academy.[14]

Aston Villa

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On 29 July 2019, it was announced that Boateng had left Rovers to take up a position as Aston Villa Under-18 Professional Development Coach.[15]

In September 2020, Boateng was promoted to become the Professional Development Coach of the under 23 squad at Aston Villa.[16]

On 26 August 2022, Boateng announced that he would be leaving his role at Aston Villa in order to focus on his role with the Ghana national team in the build up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup that winter.[17]

Ghana national team

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In May 2022 the Ghana Football Association announced that Boateng would be the new assistant coach of Ghana national team.[18]

Coventry City

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On 1 July 2024, Boateng returned to another of his former clubs, being appointed first-team coach at Coventry City.[19]

Personal life

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Boateng is a devout Christian and says his faith affects the way he conducts himself.[20] In an interview with Church Times, he stated: "My family and I have become very devoted Christians. Hearing and acting on the Word is very important."[21]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[22]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Excelsior 1994–95 Eerste Divisie 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
Feyenoord 1995–96 Eredivisie 24 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 1
1996–97 Eredivisie 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 0
1997–98 Eredivisie 18 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 20 0
Total 68 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 70 1
Coventry City 1997–98 Premier League 14 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 19 1
1998–99 Premier League 32 4 3 1 3 1 0 0 38 6
Total 46 5 8 1 3 1 0 0 57 7
Aston Villa 1999–2000 Premier League 33 2 5 0 7 1 0 0 45 3
2000–01 Premier League 33 1 3 0 1 0 4 0 41 1
2001–02 Premier League 37 1 1 0 2 0 8 0 48 1
2002–03 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Total 103 4 9 0 10 1 13 0 135 5
Middlesbrough 2002–03 Premier League 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 0
2003–04 Premier League 35 0 2 0 6 0 0 0 43 0
2004–05 Premier League 25 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 29 3
2005–06 Premier League 26 2 4 0 2 0 12 1 44 3
2006–07 Premier League 35 1 6 1 0 0 0 0 41 2
2007–08 Premier League 33 1 3 0 2 0 0 0 38 1
Total 182 7 15 1 10 0 16 1 223 9
Hull City 2008–09 Premier League 23 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 25 0
2009–10 Premier League 29 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 31 1
Total 52 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 56 1
Skoda Xanthi 2010–11 Greek Superleague 19 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 2
Nottingham Forest 2011–12 Championship 5 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 7 1
T-Team 2012–13 Malaysia Super League 15 2 5 2 0 0 0 0 20 4
Career total 499 23 41 4 25 1 31 1 596 29

Coaching statistics

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As of 24 March 2015[citation needed]
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L Win %
Kelantan Malaysia 25 April 2014 24 March 2015 37 18 2 17 048.65

Honours

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Aston Villa

Middlesbrough

References

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  1. ^ "Squad List: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Ghana (GHA)" (PDF). FIFA. 18 December 2022. p. 14. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Hull agree contract with Boateng". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 July 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  3. ^ "Hull 2–1 Man City". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 February 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  4. ^ "Boateng keen on Celtic". Sky Sports. Sky Sports. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  5. ^ "Boateng moves to Greece". Sky Sports. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  6. ^ "George Boateng to join Hasselbaink at Nottingham Forest". BBC Sport. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  7. ^ "T-Team recruit Boateng - Soccer - New Straits Times". Archived from the original on 22 November 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  8. ^ Webster, Rupert. "THE FUTURE IS ORANJE FOR BOATENG". Sky Sports.
  9. ^ "Kelantan appoint George Boateng as new head coach". Goal.com. Malaysia.
  10. ^ "Kelantan seri dengan Felda United". myMetro. Malaysia.
  11. ^ "George Boateng apologizes to fans, and may leave the club". Goal.com. Malaysia.
  12. ^ "George Boateng remains Kelantan head coach". Goal.com. Malaysia.
  13. ^ "Former T-Team coach appointed to lead Kelantan - the Malaysian Insider". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  14. ^ "Boateng joins Academy staff". Blackburn Rovers. Blackburn.
  15. ^ "Rovers youth coach leaves for Aston Villa". Lancashire Telegraph. 29 July 2019.
  16. ^ Gyimah, Edmund Okai (14 September 2020). "George Boateng pleased with Aston Villa job". Graphic Online. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  17. ^ Ayamga, Emmanuel (26 August 2022). "George Boateng leaves Aston Villa to focus on Black Stars ahead of World Cup". Pulse Ghana. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  18. ^ Mabuka, Dennis (25 May 2022). "Ghana FA retains Otto Addo to take charge of Black Stars until December". goal.com. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  19. ^ "NEWS: George Boateng and Rhys Carr appointed first-team coaches". www.ccfc.co.uk. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  20. ^ "George Boateng discusses his faith". Gazette Live. 30 April 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2009.
  21. ^ "George Boateng, Darren Moore, Joseph-Desire Job and Carlo Nash". Church Times. 27 October 2006. Retrieved 25 December 2009.
  22. ^ George Boateng at Soccerbase
  23. ^ "Villa nourished by Angel delight". The Guardian. 22 August 2001. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  24. ^ "Boro lift Carling Cup". BBC Sport. 29 February 2004. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
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