Michael Kwame Adusei Boateng (born 17 August 1991) is an English former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played primarily as a

right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. In June 2014, Boateng was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment for his part in an attempted match-fixing fraud.

Early life

As a youngster growing up he played for Addiscombe Corinthians. He attended

Archbishop Tenison's School Archbishop Tenison's School, commonly known as Tenison's, is a Church of England mixed secondary school located in the London Borough of Lambeth. Admissions Tenison's is an 11–16 boys and girls comprehensive school, part of the educationa ...

from 2002 to 2007 where he was a regular in the school team. He was an academy player at

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

before being released.

Club career

Born in

Peckham Peckham () is a district in southeast London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon p ...

, London, Boateng was a youth player at

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

, this was the period of time he had a growth spurt, where he featured heavily and appeared for their reserves. In July 2010, he signed for Carshalton Athletic, where he was their starting right back and put in performances which built up some interest. During the start of preseason for the 2011–12 season he was invited on a two-week trial with

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...

, where he featured in several friendlies. In July 2011 he signed for Bristol Rovers on a one-year contract with a further year option. In an interview in the ''

Bristol Evening Post The ''Bristol Post'' is a city/regional five-day-a-week (formerly appearing six days per week) newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. It was ...

'', Boateng expressed his delight in joining the team: "To have a chance in the professional game is all I've ever wanted. My family are delighted for me. I'm sad to be moving away from them in London, but I am really happy to be starting what is a new chapter in my life." He made his debut for Bristol Rovers on 6 September 2011, when he came on as a 76th-minute substitute for

Danny Woodards Daniel Mark Woodards (born 8 October 1983) is an English footballer who last played as a defender for club Boreham Wood. He previously played in the Football League for Crewe Alexandra, Milton Keynes Dons, Bristol Rovers and Tranmere Rovers. ...

in a

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...

match against

Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...

. Soon after, Boateng went on a two-month loan to Tonbridge Angels, and then to

Sutton United Sutton United Football Club is a professional football club in Sutton, South London, England, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They play home games at Gander Green Lane in Sutton about 11 miles so ...

in December. Following his release from

, he had trials at

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

and

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...

. In October 2012, he signed for

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

. He made his debut on 14 October 2012, in Bromley's non-league day match against local rivals

Welling United Welling United Football Club is a professional football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The club's first team play in the National League South, at the sixth tier of English football. History Welling United Foot ...

. He left Bromley in November 2012 and returned to Sutton United. In March 2013 Boateng joined Newport County, he was released in May 2013. He joined

Whitehawk Whitehawk is a suburb in the east of Brighton, England, south of Bevendean and north of Brighton Marina. The area is a large, modern housing estate built in a downland dry valley historically known as Whitehawk Bottom. The estate was originally ...

, but on 5 December 2013, he was charged with conspiracy to defraud as part of an investigation into match-fixing. He was sacked by Whitehawk the following day.

Style of play

Boateng is an athletic full back and known for his adventurous play and surging runs.http://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/page/LatestNews/0,,10328~2393145,00.html

Personal life

In June 2015, Boateng was sentenced to jail for a second time for drug dealing. Boateng works as a personal trainer and is a co-host on the podcast Banged Up where he talks about his time in prison.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boateng, Michael 1991 births Living people Footballers from Peckham English footballers England semi-pro international footballers Association football defenders Carshalton Athletic F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players Tonbridge Angels F.C. players Sutton United F.C. players Newport County A.F.C. players National League (English football) players People educated at Archbishop Tenison's Church of England High School, Croydon Whitehawk F.C. players Black British sportsmen Bromley F.C. players English fraudsters Sportspeople convicted of crimes