George Boateng facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
George Boateng

Boateng playing for Middlesbrough in 2008
Personal information
Date of birth	(1975-09-05) 5 September 1975 (age 49)
Place of birth	Nkawkaw, Ghana
Height	1.78 m
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1994–1995	Excelsior	9	(0)
1995–1997	Feyenoord	68	(1)
1997–1999	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)
National team
1995–1998	Netherlands U21	18	(0)
2001–2006	Netherlands	4	(0)
Teams managed
2014–2015	Kelantan
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

George Antwi Boateng (born 5 September 1975) is a former professional footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder.

George started his career with Feyenoord in the Netherlands. He then spent most of his playing days in England. He played 384 games in the Premier League and scored 17 goals. He played for clubs like Coventry City, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, and Hull City. He won the Football League Cup with Middlesbrough in 2004.

George was born in Ghana but grew up in the Netherlands. He played four games for the Netherlands national team. After retiring as a player, he became a football coach.

Club Career

Early Days and Feyenoord

George Boateng was born in Nkawkaw, Ghana. He spent some of his childhood in Accra, Ghana. He moved to the Netherlands when he was 10 years old.

At 16, he joined Feyenoord, a big Dutch football club. He was a very flexible player. He could play in almost any position on the field.

Coventry City

In December 1997, George moved to England. He joined Coventry City for £250,000. He signed a 3-and-a-half-year deal with the club.

He scored his first goal for Coventry on 2 May 1998. This was in a 2–0 win against Blackburn Rovers. In February 1999, he scored two goals in a 4–1 win against Aston Villa. This was a special win for Coventry.

Aston Villa

In July 1999, George joined Aston Villa. The transfer fee was £4.5 million. He played 131 matches for Villa.

He played in the 2000 FA Cup final with Aston Villa. However, his team lost to Chelsea by one goal. George was a key player for Villa. He played almost every game in the 2001–02 season.

Middlesbrough

In the summer of 2002, George moved to Middlesbrough. The club paid £5 million for him. He was unsure at first about joining Middlesbrough. But his Netherlands teammate Jaap Stam spoke highly of the manager, Steve McClaren.

George played in the 2004 Football League Cup final. Middlesbrough won the cup, which was their first major trophy ever! He scored his first goal for Middlesbrough in October 2004. This was in a 4–0 win against Blackburn.

In the 2004–05 season, he helped his team finish 7th. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup. He also played in the 2006 UEFA Cup final. Sadly, Middlesbrough lost this final 4–0 to Sevilla.

In 2006, George signed a new three-year contract. He was also named team captain. This happened after Gareth Southgate retired and became the manager.

Hull City

On 10 July 2008, George joined Hull City. Hull City had just been promoted to the Premier League. He signed a two-year contract.

On 6 February 2010, George scored his first goal for Hull City. It was in a 2–1 win against Manchester City. This was Hull City's first win since November 2009.

Hull City was relegated from the Premier League in 2010. George's contract ended after that season.

Later Career

After leaving Hull City, George moved to Greece. He joined Skoda Xanthi in July 2010. He played there for one season.

In July 2011, he returned to England. He joined Nottingham Forest in the Football League Championship. He played 7 games for Forest. He scored an important goal in a 2–2 draw against Leicester City.

In November 2012, George moved to Malaysia. He signed a one-year contract with T-Team.

International Career

George Boateng was born in Ghana but grew up in the Netherlands. He chose to play for the Netherlands. He was even the captain of the under-21 team.

He played four games for the senior Netherlands team. All of these were friendly matches. He made his first appearance on 10 November 2001. This was in a 1–1 draw against Denmark.

Managerial Career

Kelantan

In 2014, George Boateng became the head coach of Kelantan in Malaysia. His first game was a 3–3 draw against Felda United.

He later moved to a Technical Director role in March 2015. He left Kelantan in May 2015 to coach again.

Blackburn Rovers

On 5 September 2018, George joined Blackburn Rovers. He became the Under 13's head coach. He coached different age groups at their academy.

Aston Villa

In July 2019, George moved to Aston Villa. He became the Under-18 Professional Development Coach. In September 2020, he was promoted to coach the Under 23 squad.

He left Aston Villa in August 2022. He wanted to focus on his role with the Ghana national team.

Ghana National Team

In May 2022, George Boateng became the assistant coach of the Ghana national team. This was before the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Coventry City

On 1 July 2024, George returned to Coventry City. He was appointed as a first-team coach. However, he left the club on 28 November 2024. This was after Frank Lampard became the new manager.

Personal Life

George Boateng is a very religious person. He is a devoted Christian. He believes his faith guides how he lives his life.

Career Statistics

Club

Coaching Statistics

Honours

Aston Villa

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001
• FA Cup runner-up: 1999–2000

Middlesbrough

• Football League Cup: 2003–04
• UEFA Cup runner-up: 2005–06

See also

In Spanish: George Boateng para niños