George Boateng

Football player infobox
playername = George Boateng


fullname = George Boateng
height = height|ft=5|in=11.5
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1975|9|5|
cityofbirth = Nkawkaw
countryofbirth = Ghana
currentclub = Hull City
clubnumber = 20
position = Midfielder
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1994–1995
1995–1998
1998–1999
1999–2002
2002–2008
2008–
clubs = Excelsior Rotterdam
Feyenoord
Coventry City
Aston Villa
Middlesbrough
Hull City
caps(goals) = 009 (0)
068 (1)
046 (5)
103 (4)
182 (7)
004 (0)
nationalyears = 2001–2004
nationalteam = Netherlands
nationalcaps(goals) = 004 (0)
pcupdate = 21:37, 5 October 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 12:26, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

George Boateng (born September 5, 1975 in Nkawkaw, Ghana) is a Dutch footballer. He is a central midfielder who currently plays for English Premiership football team Hull City.

Club career

After playing 70 games for Dutch giants Feyenoord Rotterdam, 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 Coventry finish fifteenth in the Premier League.

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. That summer he completed a £5,000,000 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 has been the solid platform upon which Middlesbrough have built their attack. He recovered from a summer ankle operation in 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 was injured for 8 weeks with a broken toe and it was during this period that Middlesbrough dropped from fourth down to ninth in the league. He did however 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.

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. This was 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 Middlesbrough manager 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. [cite news | date=2008-07-10 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hull_city/7498807.stm | title=Hull agree contract with Boateng | publisher=BBC Sport | accessdate=2008-06-10] The move was completed on 16 July, after the completion of a medical.

International career

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

Honours

*2000 FA Cup Final Runner-Up
*2004 League Cup Winner
*2006 UEFA Cup Final Runner-Up

References

External links

* [http://www.hullcityafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10338~5508,00.html George Boateng profile] on Hull City official website
*
* [http://www.icons.com/boateng/ George Boateng Official Website] at Icons.com