A man for the big occasion
Munich - A Bundesliga, DFB Cup, Supercup and now a UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup medal winner: there are not all that many trophies 24-year-old defender Jerome Boateng has not got his hands on.
Rotation, rotation
A striker early on in his career, Boateng made the successful transition to defensive stalwart at Hertha Berlin, with whom he won the U-17 championship. At 18, he made his professional debut for the capital club, before moving to Hamburger SV six months later.
A further three years and 75 Bundesliga appearances down the line, Boateng joined English Premier League outfit Manchester City FC. Unable to settle, in part due to a string of injuries, the son of a Ghanaian father and German mother returned to his homeland in 2011 with FC Bayern. He quickly adjusted to the Bavarian way of life, playing his part in all 13 of the club's Champions League games during the 2011/12 campaign.
With the arrival of Boateng found playing time limited during the first half of the 2012/13 season, but an injury to afforded the Germany international the chance to impress as the campaign ticked on. He scored his first ever Bundesliga goal on March 9, 2013 as Bayern stormed across the finish line, all three trophies in tow.
Lost and found
Boateng also featured in Bayern's 2-1 Champions League final victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in May 2013, but a dream almost became a nightmare for the Berlin native when he lost his winner's medal. Thankfully, however, a reporter found the rogue piece of metal and promptly returned it to its rightful owner.
Practically an ever-present in the Bayern side in 2013/14, helping them win the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, and can reckon on a starting berth for Germany at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
