Emmanuel Agyenim "Ema" Boateng (born 17 January 1994) is a Ghanaian 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 lea ...

who plays as a winger for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

club

San Diego FC San Diego Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in San Diego. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home matches at Snapdragon Stadium. The club's ownersh ...

Early life and education

Boateng was born and raised in Ghana in a home that lacked running water and electricity. As a preteen, he was selected to join the

Right to Dream Academy Right to Dream is a youth association football academy system based in Ghana. It started in 1999 as a residential school and training center in Accra. It is owned by the Mansour Group. It is now a multi-club multi-academy group with branches i ...

where he combined academic studies with football training. In 2009 at the age of 15, Boateng moved to the United States on a scholarship to attend

Cate School Cate School is a highly selective university-preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12 located in Carpinteria, California, eleven miles from Santa Barbara. In 2012, the school had 270 students, who came from 31 states an ...

Carpinteria, California Carpinteria (; , meaning "Carpentry") is a small seaside city in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, it had a population of 13,264 at the 2020 United States cens ...

. In addition to playing for the Cate School team, he also appeared for other local youth sides in Santa Barbara Soccer Club and South Coast Strikers. Boateng received the 2012 Gatorade Player of the Year award, presented to him by former winner

Alexi Lalas Panayotis Alexander Lalas (; born June 1, 1970) is an American former soccer player who played mostly as a defender. Lalas is best known for his participation with the United States men's national soccer team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where ...

, and became the first recipient in Cate School's 100+ year history across all sports. He skipped his final year of

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

to enroll early at the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

, despite interest from

Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West Gorton), they became Ardwick Assoc ...

to sign him on professional terms. While at UCSB, Boateng played

college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...

for the

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team is an NCAA Division I college soccer team composed of student-athletes attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Gauchos play their home matches at Harder Stadium. Like most of th ...

team. In his first year in 2012, he appeared in 18 games, scoring 4 goals and adding 4 assists.

Career

Helsingborg

During the summer of 2013, he played with

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

side

Ventura County Fusion Ventura County Fusion is an American soccer team based in Ventura, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team plays its home games in the stadium on th ...

while still enrolled in college. He appeared in 5 games for the Fusion, scoring once. After receiving an invitation to train with the Swedish

Allsvenskan Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system. Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...

side

Helsingborgs IF Helsingborgs Idrottsförening, commonly referred to as Helsingborgs IF, Helsingborg or (especially locally) HIF (), is a Swedish professional football club located in Helsingborg. They play in the Swedish second tier, Superettan, following releg ...

later that summer, Boateng paid for his airplane ticket across the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

to be able to visit the club. He made a big impression and soon thereafter they signed him to a three-and-a-half-year contract in July 2013. He would appear in 37 Allsvenskan matches over his three seasons with the club, scoring 4 times in the league. He also helped the club reach the

Svenska Cupen Svenska cupen (, ), also known as the Swedish Cup in English, is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. ''Svenska cupen'' usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also ...

final in 2014, scoring two goals in five appearances, and came on as a second-half substitute in the final itself; a 0–1 defeat to

IF Elfsborg Idrottsföreningen Elfsborg, more commonly known as IF Elfsborg or simply Elfsborg (), is a professional association football, football club based in Borås, Sweden, and is affiliated to the Västergötlands Fotbollförbund. They play in the Alls ...

on 18 May.

LA Galaxy

Boateng was transferred to

LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

in January 2016. He made his debut against the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

on 12 March 2016, where he replaced Mike Magee, but was unable to save the Galaxy from a 1–0 loss. He scored his first goal for the club on 23 April 2016 against

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...

, helping the Galaxy to a 5–2 victory, while also notching two assists. This performance earned him Player of the Week honors. Boateng scored his second goal of the season on 7 September, the first goal of a 3–3 draw at RSL. During the 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, in LA's knockout round match against

, Boateng fouled

Javier Morales Javier Morales (born 10 January 1980) is an Argentine former footballer and an assistant Inter Miami CF coach. Career Argentina From 1998 to 2006, Morales played for four different clubs in the Argentine Primera División, including two stints ...

, conceding a penalty which was successfully taken by

Joao Plata Joao Jimmy Plata Cotera (; born March 1, 1992) is an Ecuadorian footballer who plays as a forward for C.D. FAS in the Primera División de Fútbol de El Salvador. Club career LDU Quito Plata began his career in the youth ranks of hometown cl ...

to tie the game at 1. However, Boateng atoned for his mistake by scoring two goals within eight minutes, leading Galaxy to a 3–1 win. After the game, teammate

Landon Donovan Landon Timothy Donovan (born March 4, 1982) is an American former professional association football, soccer player and coach who was most recently the interim head coach of San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Often co ...

compared Boateng's first goal to

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...

, saying that "he has that in him", while manager

Bruce Arena Bruce Arena (born September 21, 1951) is an American soccer coach who currently serves as the head coach and sporting director of the San Jose Earthquakes. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the NJCAA Lacrosse Hall of Fame. ...

described his performance as an "excellent, break out game". Boateng's contract with LA Galaxy concluded at the end of their 2018 season. Boateng re-signed with Galaxy on 14 January 2019.

D.C. United

On 7 August 2019, Boateng was traded to

D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

in exchange for $250,000 of Targeted Allocation Money. He made his first appearance for DC United in a game against the

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...

on 17 August 2019, subbing in for

Leonardo Jara Leonardo Jara (born 20 May 1991) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a right-back for Argentine Primera División club Godoy Cruz. Career Before Leonardo joined Boca Juniors, he played for Estudiantes. D.C. United On 30 January 2019 Le ...

in 67th minute. His 2020 option was exercised by D.C. United after the

2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

Columbus Crew

On 14 August 2020, Boateng was traded to the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...

in exchange for

Axel Sjöberg Axel Sjöberg (; born 8 March 1991) is a Swedish former footballer. Career Early career Sjöberg began his career with Helenelunds IK in his hometown at age four before moving to the academy of Djurgårdens IF, long-time member of the Allsv ...

, reuniting him with former

teammate

Gyasi Zardes Gyasi A. Zardes (born September 2, 1991) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward. Born in Hawthorne, California, Zardes was part of the LA Galaxy youth academy before playing college soccer for Cal State Bakersfield. ...

. He made his debut on 20 August 2020, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 win over the Chicago Fire. He won the MLS Cup for being part of the squad even though he didn't play in the final match and was an unused substitute for the match. His team won by a 3–0 win through a

Lucas Zelarayán Lucas Manuel Zelarayán (; born 20 June 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Argentine Primera División club Belgrano. Born in Argentina, he represents the Armenia national team. He began his profession ...

brace and a goal from Derrick Etienne. That win was the teams first trophy since 2008. His fellow Ghanaian compatriots

Jonathan Mensah Jonathan Mensah (born 13 July 1990), commonly known simply as Jonathan, is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a defender. He previously played for Ashanti Gold, Free State Stars, Granada, Evian, Anzhi Makhachkala, Columbus Cre ...

and Harrison Afful played the full 90 minutes though. Columbus declined their contract option on Boateng following their 2020 season.

New England Revolution

On 7 January 2021, Boateng signed with

New England Revolution The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...

as a free agent. Following the 2022 season, New England opted to decline his contract option. He re-signed with the club to a one-year contract on 24 February 2023, and again for an additional year on 2 January 2024.

San Diego FC

On 6 January 2025, Boateng was traded from New England to expansion side

in exchange for $200,000 in general allocation money. He scored a goal in a 6–0 preseason friendly victory over

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...

on 16 February ahead of the team's inaugural season.

Personal life

His story was featured in ''The Beautiful Game'', a 2012 documentary about football in Africa, and on

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

's report on the Right to Dream Academy. It was reported that Boateng received his U.S. citizenship in 2016. Outside of football, Boateng's ambition is to become a doctor. He speaks three languages.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

Columbus Crew *

MLS Cup MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Confere ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

New England Revolution *

Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 199 ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

References

External links

* *
UC Santa Barbara player profile

Right to Dream Academy player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boateng, Emmanuel 1994 births Living people Men's association football forwards Men's association football midfielders Helsingborgs IF players LA Galaxy players D.C. United players Columbus Crew players New England Revolution players San Diego FC players Allsvenskan players Major League Soccer players Ghanaian men's footballers Ghanaian expatriate men's footballers Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer players People from Carpinteria, California Right to Dream Academy players Footballers from Accra Soccer players from Santa Barbara County, California 21st-century Ghanaian sportsmen