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

criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

and 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 lea ...

who played primarily as a

right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

. He was sentenced in 2014 to 16 months' imprisonment for his part in an attempted match-fixing fraud, and has twice served time in prison for

drug dealing The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types ...

offences.

Early life

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

Archbishop Tenison's School Archbishop Tenison's Grammar School, also known as Archbishop Tenison's School or Tenison's, was established as a library and grammar school for 30 poor boys in the parish of St Martin-in-the-Fields in 1685. The school moved location several t ...

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 buildin ...

before being released.

Club career

Early career

Born in

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

, London, Boateng was a youth player at

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

, 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.

Bristol Rovers

During the start of preseason for the 2011–12 season he was invited on a two-week trial with

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...

, 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 former footballer who played as a defender. He previously played in the Football League for Crewe Alexandra, Milton Keynes Dons, Bristol Rovers and Tranmere Rovers. Club career Early c ...

in a

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...

match against

Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 188 ...

. Soon after, Boateng went on a two-month loan to

Tonbridge Angels Tonbridge Angels Football Club is a professional association football club based in Tonbridge, Kent, England. The team competes in the National League South, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club was founded as Tonb ...

, and then to

Sutton United Sutton United Football Club is a professional association football club from Sutton, South London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. Sutton started out playing in junior, ...

in December.

Non-league

Following his release from

, he had trials at

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

and

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...

. In October 2012, Boateng signed for

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

. 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 semi-professional association football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The most prominent aspect of the club is its men's first team, who play in the , the seventh level of the E ...

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

Match fixing charges

After his departure from Newport, Boateng 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 originall ...

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. In January 2015, Boateng was given a lifetime ban from football for admitting the charges of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Career statistics

Sources:

Style of play

Boateng is an athletic full back and known for his adventurous play and surging runs.

Personal life

Boateng works as a personal trainer and is a co-host on the podcast Banged Up where he talks about his time in prison.

Later criminal activity

In June 2014, Boateng was sentenced to 16 months in prison for match fixing. In June 2015, Boateng was sent to prison for a second time for drug dealing. On 16 February 2024, Boateng appeared in court charged with possessing Class A drug methylamphetamine with intent to supply. His home was raided on Valentine's Day in 2024 and he was caught with 19.6 kg of the drug, worth up to £1.5m – which was one of the biggest seizures of crystal meth in the UK. On 10 September 2024, Boateng admitted possessing crystal meth, cocaine and MDMA with intent to supply. He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced in November 2024.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boateng, Michael 1991 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Southwark People from Peckham English men's footballers England men's semi-pro international footballers Men's 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 British sportspeople convicted of crimes Sportspeople involved in betting scandals 21st-century English sportsmen