The best young player in Germany…

The best young player in Germany playing in the Olympic Stadium with 76000 seats.

Wikipedia:

Full name: Kevin-Prince Boateng
Date of birth: March 6, 1987 (1987-03-06) (age 20)
Place of birth: Berlin, Germany
Height: 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position: Midfielder

Club information
Current club Hertha BSC Berlin
1994-2005 Reinickendorfer Füchse (Youth clubs)

Years Club App (Gls)*
2005- Hertha BSC Berlin 43 (4)

Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga
2006/7    10th
2005/6    06th
2004/5    05th
2003/4    13th

Career

A player with dual German-Ghana nationality, Boateng is a very dynamic central midfielder. His skill and pace are complemented by advanced tactical awareness and a powerful physique. He started his career with the youth club Reinickendorfer Füchse and currently plays for Hertha BSC Berlin.

Boateng has been with Hertha since 1 July 1994 when he was just 7 years. After emerging from the youth team set-up, he played for the reserves for two seasons and was twice sent off, but he won a call-up to the first team squad in 2005/06. He made his debut impressively against Eintracht Frankfurt, in Round 2 of the 2005/2006 Bundesliga season, as he was brought on at the start of the second half. He impressed during that game so much, that he was on the fringe of the first team from then on, despite barely being 18 years of age. Boateng continued his rise, and started his first Bundesliga game during the 2-2 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach in Round 14. The midfielder has played several times for the German U16, U19 and U21 National teams, hitting the headlines on 20 July 2005 after netting a stunning 47th minute goal from inside the center circle over 45 yards in a 3-0 win against Greece in a Euro U19 Championship game. This impressive strike was voted Goal of the Month by viewers of a renowned German TV sports show.

Boateng identifies Pelé and Rivaldo as his role models, occasionally imitating the Brazilian duo with spectacular crowd-pleasing moments. His love of playing to the gallery draws applause, but has also attracted a fair share of criticism too. Declares Germany U-19 coach Uli Stielike: “At senior level, Kevin will need to wean himself off the world of fantasy football.” He has since cut down on those antics.

On 27 July 2006, Boateng won the Fritz Walter Gold medal award and the title of 2006 Best Young Player in Germany. A jury consisting of DFB, Youth coaches and members of the DFB board, put Kevin top of the poll. Sport director Matthias Sammer and DFB coach Horst Hrubesch honored the talented player with the gold prize-winner award at the Stadtbauraum, Gelsenkirchen in Germany on August 16, 2006.

He was offered to play on Ghana’s team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but declined. This was met with upset by many Ghanaians. But Hertha Berlin manager, Dieter Hoeness praised the Ghanaian-born, for turning down overtures from Ghana and rather opting to play for Germany. According to the Berlin manager, it would have been a big pity for German football had he decided to play for Ghana. On 27 March 2007 it was reported in the German media that Boateng had threatened Germany Coach Joachim Löw that he will play for Ghana.

He has been linked with a move to several British clubs including Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur as well as Spanish club Sevilla, with a reported bid of £5.4million offer, accepted from Tottenham.

Personal life

Boateng has a German mother and has a Ghanaian father. His uncle is a former Ghana International and his grandfather is a cousin of legendary Germany star Helmut Rahn, scorer of the winning goal in the 1954 FIFA World Cup. It therefore comes as little surprise to find that Boateng is talented. Kevin Prince Boateng has two brothers: Jérôme and Wolf. Both are soccer players, with Jérôme Boateng (the youngest of the three) also playing for Hertha BSC Berlin.