Jérôme Boateng facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jérôme Boateng

Boateng training with Bayern Munich in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth	(1988-09-03) 3 September 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth	West Berlin, West Germany
Height	1.92 m
Playing position	Centre-back
Club information
Current club	LASK
Number	17
Youth career
1994–2002	Tennis Borussia Berlin
2002–2006	Hertha BSC
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2007	Hertha BSC II	24	(1)
2007	Hertha BSC	10	(0)
2007–2010	Hamburger SV	75	(0)
2010–2011	Manchester City	16	(0)
2011–2021	Bayern Munich	229	(5)
2021–2023	Lyon	32	(0)
2024	Salernitana	7	(0)
2024–	LASK	4	(0)
National team‡
2004–2005	Germany U17	4	(1)
2005–2007	Germany U19	17	(2)
2007–2009	Germany U21	15	(1)
2009–2018	Germany	76	(1)
Honours Men's football Representing  Germany FIFA World Cup Winner 2014 Brazil Third 2010 South Africa UEFA European Championship Bronze 2012 Poland–Ukraine UEFA European Under-21 Championship Winner 2009 Sweden
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 28 October 2024. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 13 October 2018

Jérôme Agyenim Boateng (born 3 September 1988) is a German professional footballer. He plays as a Centre-back for the Austrian club LASK.

Boateng began his football journey at Hertha BSC. He moved up from their youth teams to play for the main squad. After playing for Hertha, he joined Hamburger SV. There, he became a key player in their defense. He helped the club reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League twice.

After one season with Manchester City in England, he moved to Bayern Munich in 2011. With Bayern, he won many big titles in Germany and Europe. This included winning the "continental treble" (three major trophies in one season) in the 2012–13 and 2019–20 seasons. After leaving Bayern, he played for Lyon in France and Salernitana in Italy.

Jérôme Boateng also played for the Germany U21 team. They won the 2009 Euro U-21 Championship. Soon after, he joined the senior German national team. He played over 70 games for Germany. He represented his country in the Euro 2012, Euro 2016, 2010 World Cup, 2014 World Cup, and 2018 World Cup. He was a very important player when Germany won the 2014 World Cup.

He is the younger half-brother of fellow footballer Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Club Career

Starting Out

Jérôme Boateng started playing football with the youth team of Tennis Borussia Berlin. In 2002, he joined Hertha BSC.

Playing for Hertha BSC

After playing in the youth teams, he spent two seasons with Hertha's reserve team. He played 9 games and scored 1 goal in the 2005–06 season. In the 2006–07 season, he played 15 games. On 31 January 2007, he was called up to the first team. He made his debut against Hannover 96 in February 2007. Even though he was only 18, he quickly became a regular player. He played 11 games for the first team in the 2006–07 season.

Time at Hamburger SV

Boateng with Hamburger SV in 2009

Boateng moved to Hamburg on 22 August 2007. The transfer fee was about €1.1 million. He had two good years at Hamburg. He became a key part of their defense in the 2008–09 season. Hamburg was close to winning the Bundesliga title that year. They also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League in both his years there. He played 37 games in the 2007–08 season and 35 games in the 2008–09 season. In the 2009–10 season, he played so well that he was called up to the German national team. He earned a spot in the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He ended the 2009–10 season with 1 goal in 41 games.

Move to Manchester City

On 5 June 2010, Premier League club Manchester City bought Boateng for £10.4 million. He signed a five-year deal and wore his favorite number 17 shirt. He played his first game for City in a friendly match against Valencia. He played as both a centre-back and a right-back. He even helped set up a goal for Gareth Barry.

Before the 2010–11 Premier League season began, Boateng got injured while playing for Germany. He tore a tendon in his left knee. He made his official debut for Manchester City on 25 September 2010. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Chelsea. He then started his first competitive game in a Europa League match against Juventus. In his one season with City, Boateng played 24 games. He also won the 2010–11 FA Cup with the team.

Success at Bayern Munich

Joining Bayern

Boateng (right) playing for Bayern in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final

In June 2011, Boateng wanted to leave Manchester City to join Bayern Munich. He felt that playing for Bayern would help him play more often for the German national team. He was also tired of always playing as a right-back.

On 14 July 2011, Bayern bought Boateng for €13.5 million. He signed a four-year deal and got the number 17 shirt. He played his first game for Bayern on 27 July 2011. It was in the 2011 Audi Cup against Milan. His first Bundesliga game for Bayern was on 6 August. Bayern lost 0–1 to Borussia Mönchengladbach. Boateng made a mistake with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer that led to the only goal. That season, Bayern finished second in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and Champions League. Boateng played in the finals of the cup and Champions League. He played 48 games in the 2011–12 season.

Winning the Treble

Boateng playing for Bayern Munich in 2012

In the 2012–13 season, Boateng was a regular player for Bayern. The team won an amazing "treble" that season. They won the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal (German Cup), and the Champions League. They also won the DFL-Supercup at the start of the season. Boateng scored his first Bundesliga goal on 9 March 2013. It was a header that helped Bayern win 3–2 against Fortuna Düsseldorf. He scored another goal on 13 April in a 5–0 win over 1. FC Nürnberg. He scored two goals in 40 games during the 2012–13 season.

Continued Success

Boateng continued to be a key player for Bayern. On 2 October 2013, he played against his old club Manchester City in the Champions League. His only league goal that season was on 9 November in a 3–0 win against FC Augsburg. He signed a new contract with Bayern on 11 December, keeping him at the club until 2018. Bayern won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal that season. He scored one goal in 43 games in the 2013–14 season.

On 17 September 2014, Boateng scored his first European goal for Bayern. It was the only goal in a Champions League group stage match against Manchester City. He also scored in a 7–0 Champions League win against Shakhtar Donetsk on 11 March 2015. He scored again in a 6–1 win over Porto on 21 April. He finished the 2014–15 season with three goals in 44 games.

Boateng started the 2015–16 season by playing in the German Super Cup. On 18 December, he signed a new contract with Bayern until 2021. He played 31 games in the 2015–16 season.

He faced some injuries in the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons. Despite this, he scored a header in a 2–1 win against Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal on 21 December 2017. He also scored his first league goal since 2013 against 1899 Hoffenheim on 27 January 2018. Boateng played his 250th game for Bayern in a 6–0 win over Hamburg. He also made his 100th European appearance in a Champions League match against Sevilla. He finished the 2017–18 season with two goals in 31 games.

In the 2018–19 season, Boateng started strong. However, he later shared playing time with other defenders. On 18 May 2019, he won his seventh straight Bundesliga title with Bayern. A week later, he won his fourth DFB-Pokal. He played 28 games that season.

On 14 December 2019, Boateng played his 300th game for Bayern. He became a regular starter again in the 2019–20 season. This was after another defender got injured. He played very well and helped Bayern win their second continental treble. On 3 November 2020, he scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season in a Champions League win. In April 2021, Bayern announced that Boateng's contract would not be extended.

Later Clubs

On 1 September 2021, Boateng joined French club Lyon for free. He signed a contract until June 2023. Lyon confirmed he would leave the club when his contract ended.

On 2 February 2024, Boateng signed with Salernitana in Italy. He played for them until the end of the 2023–24 season.

On 31 May 2024, Boateng joined Austrian club LASK. He signed a contract until 2026.

International Career

Boateng lining up for Germany with Mario Götze (left) and Mesut Özil (right) prior to a match in 2011

Boateng played for Germany's under-17 and under-19 national teams. In July 2007, he was called up for the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

He also played for the Germany under-21 team. They won the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He made his debut for the Germany senior team on 10 October 2009 against Russia. He was the first German player to be sent off in his debut game. Despite this, he was regularly called up afterwards.

Boateng challenging Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal during a UEFA Euro 2012 group stage match

2010 FIFA World Cup

Boateng was chosen for Germany's 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. On 23 June 2010, Boateng played against his half-brother, Kevin-Prince, who played for Ghana. Germany won 1–0. This was the first time two brothers played on opposite teams at a FIFA World Cup.

Boateng played in Germany's wins against England (4–1) and Argentina (4–0). He also played in the 1–0 loss to Spain in the semi-final. He played in the third-place game against Uruguay. He helped Germany win 3–2 by assisting a goal. Germany finished third at the World Cup for the second time in a row.

UEFA Euro 2012

Boateng was part of Germany's squad for Euro 2012. He played as a right-back in four of their five matches. Germany reached the semi-finals but lost to Italy.

2014 FIFA World Cup

Fred and Boateng battling for the ball in the 2014 World Cup semi-final between Brazil and Germany

Boateng and his brother played against each other again four years later. This was during the next World Cup, as Ghana and Germany were in the same group. On 8 July 2014, Boateng played the whole game when Germany beat Brazil 7–1 in the semi-final. This was a record-breaking win.

On 13 July 2014, Boateng won the 2014 World Cup with Germany. They beat Argentina 1–0 in the final. He played a very important role in Germany's win. He won many challenges and made good tackles. Many people said he was the best player in the match.

UEFA Euro 2016

On 13 June 2016, Boateng made a crucial save on the goal line. This stopped Ukraine from scoring. Germany won the match 2–0. On 26 June, Boateng scored his first goal for Germany. It was in the round of 16 match against Slovakia. He scored with a long-range volley in a 3–0 victory. On 8 July, Boateng had to leave the game due to a thigh injury. This was during the semi-final match against France. Germany lost that game 2–0.

2018 FIFA World Cup

Boateng was chosen for Germany's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 23 June, he was sent off after getting a second yellow card. This happened during their second group stage match against Sweden. However, Germany still won the game 2–1. He was the first German player to be sent off in a World Cup match since 2010. Germany was eliminated from the tournament after a surprising 0–2 loss to South Korea.

Style of Play

Boateng is a very flexible defender. He mainly plays as a centre-back. But he can also play as a right-back. He is physically strong and calm when he has the ball. He is known for being a tough-tackling defender. He is also good at passing and understanding the game. Even though some people thought he made mistakes when he was younger, he later became one of the best defenders in the world.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Germany score listed first, score column indicates score after each Boateng goal

List of international goals scored by Jérôme Boateng

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	26 June 2016	Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France	63	Slovakia	1–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2016

Honours

Manchester City

• FA Cup: 2010–11

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21
• DFB-Pokal: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2019–20
• DFL-Supercup: 2012, 2020
• UEFA Champions League: 2012–13, 2019–20
• UEFA Super Cup: 2013, 2020
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2013, 2020

Germany U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2009

Germany

• FIFA World Cup: 2014; third place: 2010

Individual

• Fritz Walter Medal U19 Bronze: 2007
• Silbernes Lorbeerblatt: 2010, 2014
• Classification as world class in the kicker Ranking of German Football: Winter 2014/15, Winter 2015/16, Summer 2016
• Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2014–15, 2015–16
• kicker Defender of the Year [de]: 2014–15, 2015–16
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2016
• Germany Footballer of the year: 2015–16
• Moses Mendelssohn Prize [de]: 2016
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2016

Images for kids

• 

  Jérôme Boateng in 2017

See also

In Spanish: Jérôme Boateng para niños