ligue1.com takes a look at Lyon's classy new centre-back.

Class act

Boateng was born in Berlin, starting his career at Tennis Borussia Berlin before joining Bundesliga outfit Hertha in 2002, making his first-team debut in their colours at right-back in a 5-0 defeat at Hannover on 31 January, 2007. 

That was two years after he had left school where, his football ability aside, he had not excelled. "The better he got at football, the worse his grades were in school," said his class teacher Christine Zedel. "He couldn't get himself excited about any subject."

Even as late as 2010, Boateng's mother, Nina, declared she wished he had done more while at school other than play football and PlayStation. Given his outrageous haul of winner's medals, she might now accept he didn't do too badly…

Brothers in arms

While Jerome scaled the summit of world football with Germany, his half-brother, Kevin-Prince, represented the country of his birth up to U21 level before opting to play for Ghana, the nation of their father. Eighteen months younger, Jerome always had one goal in mind as a kid: "Be at least as good as my brother."

While their father reportedly wept as both anthems were played, Jerome was able to prove he was even better than his brother at the 2010 FIFA World Cup when his Germany defeated Kevin-Prince's Ghana 1-0; the latter saved face with a 2-2 draw in 2014 in Brazil, though Jerome was en route to winning the World Cup.

"I won't say it's normal now, because a World Cup is never normal," said Jerome before their second meeting. "But we've met each other several times in the Bundesliga, so it's less remarkable than four years ago."

City career trollied

If Hertha was Boateng's startpoint, his career took off in Hamburg, joining them at the start of the 2007/08 season, signing a five-year deal.

Used mostly at right-back but also at times centre-back — a taste of his future career — Boateng spent two seasons with the iconic HSV, helping them to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals and catching the eye of Manchester City.

But though he agreed a five-year deal with the English club, he was gone within 12 months as injuries, including aggravating a knee tendon tear by colliding with a drinks trolley on a plane just a week before the start of the 2010/11 English Premier League season.

"I imagined my start at City to be quite different, of course," the then-22-year-old said, surprising no one.

Positional sense

"It was important to me that Bayern had me marked in for a specific position," said Boateng, who had become frustrated at being used at right-back. "I believe it will end up with me playing at centre-back for the national team more often." He was right.

Boateng spent nine years at the Allianz Arena — most of which was spent at the heart of the German giant's defence — and won virtually everything a top-class footballer could wish for: nine successive Bundesliga titles, five DFB Cups, two UEFA Champions Leagues — completing a domestic/European treble each time — and the FIFA Club World Cup twice.

And did we mention the FIFA World Cup with Germany? It wasn't the same story in 2018 when the holders were knocked out in the group stage prompting Boateng to brand their tournament, "Such a disaster." 

By March 2019, then-Germany coach Joachim Löw publicly told Boateng and Bayern teammates Mats Hummels and Thomas Müller they were no longer required at international level. The latter pair have since been drafted back into the squad, but not Boateng, who still has 76 international caps more than most of us.

A good shoe-ing

Boateng became the first professional footballer to sign with Roc Nation Sports when he inked a deal in 2015. Ring any bells? Maybe not, but when you learn the entertainment company's owner is rapper Jay-Z… 

The collaboration has brought about a Boateng-designed range of spectacles, and given him the chance to indulge in his other fashion passion: shoes.

"My mother always told me you can open a shop," joked Boateng, who boasts a sizeable collection of footwear. "It started when I was 13 or 14 years old. 'Oh those shoes, I want to have them in different colours,' I thought. And then it started. I can't stop. I still love shoes, I love sneakers."

>> NEWS: Lyon land Jerome Boateng