By Patrick Owusu.
From Batama to California.
Emmanuel Boateng is a young talented and tactically disciplined footballer. Emmanuel resided at Bantama, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti region during his days in Ghana. He started his football career at Ebony FC, which is a colts team in Kumasi. Emmanuel Boateng’s story starts thousands of miles away on the dusty fields in Ghana, but where it may end is what makes his tale so fascinating.
Boateng went to the United States in 2009 as part of the Right to Dream Academy, which helps athletes in Ghana explore opportunities [both in education and sports] all around the globe.
The brilliant midfielder’s first stop in the States was Cate School, a small, private boarding school in the foothills of Santa Barbara, California. Boateng’s high school career hit a high point during his junior year with the 2011-12 Gatorade National Boys Soccer High School Player of the Year award .“It has been great,” Boateng told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “To be part of something that the school can look back on and be proud of is special.”
The 18-year-old is the first athlete from Cate (which Boateng became the first American) to win the Gatorade award in the school’s 102-year history, to earn MVP honors in the 30-year history of the Milk Cup when he led the South Coast Strikers to fourth place in the 2011 Premier Section at the tournament in Northern Ireland. Boateng is only the underclassman to the Gatorade Player of the Year award in its 27-year history. Boateng joins Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Giovanni Dos Santos as the youngest athletes to have won the Milk Cup MVP honors.
The Ghanaian has brought other honors unto the school as well including a pair of California High School Division VII titles during his three years on campus, but his junior year will be his final in high school as he decided earlier this year to enroll at UC Santa Barbara in 2012, having maintained a 3.75 GPA at high school.
“It was a tough choice,” Boateng said. “I wrestled with it a lot, but at the end of the day I thought it was the best choice for me.” For Boateng, the choice was not simply about returning to Cate for his senior season or enrolling early at UCSB, there were other professional clubs also in the mix.
Manchester City has been closely monitoring the star for the past few years after inviting him on trial in 2010 and was poised to sign him this summer .“I considered it,” Boateng said about joining the English Premier League Champions. “Thinking about leaving [to join City] in mid-July . . . but I think I made the right choice right now to wait and get the collegiate experience."
Boateng’s role model is Steve Gerard of Liverpool. Boateng enjoys playing central midfield and is also a utility player. He is eligible to play for either Ghana or USA national team. He is one player that I really admire and won’t be surprised to see him rise to be the best in Africa and subsequently in the world in future.
From Batama to California.
Emmanuel Boateng is a young talented and tactically disciplined footballer. Emmanuel resided at Bantama, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti region during his days in Ghana. He started his football career at Ebony FC, which is a colts team in Kumasi. Emmanuel Boateng’s story starts thousands of miles away on the dusty fields in Ghana, but where it may end is what makes his tale so fascinating.
Boateng went to the United States in 2009 as part of the Right to Dream Academy, which helps athletes in Ghana explore opportunities [both in education and sports] all around the globe.
The brilliant midfielder’s first stop in the States was Cate School, a small, private boarding school in the foothills of Santa Barbara, California. Boateng’s high school career hit a high point during his junior year with the 2011-12 Gatorade National Boys Soccer High School Player of the Year award .“It has been great,” Boateng told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “To be part of something that the school can look back on and be proud of is special.”
The 18-year-old is the first athlete from Cate (which Boateng became the first American) to win the Gatorade award in the school’s 102-year history, to earn MVP honors in the 30-year history of the Milk Cup when he led the South Coast Strikers to fourth place in the 2011 Premier Section at the tournament in Northern Ireland. Boateng is only the underclassman to the Gatorade Player of the Year award in its 27-year history. Boateng joins Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Giovanni Dos Santos as the youngest athletes to have won the Milk Cup MVP honors.
The Ghanaian has brought other honors unto the school as well including a pair of California High School Division VII titles during his three years on campus, but his junior year will be his final in high school as he decided earlier this year to enroll at UC Santa Barbara in 2012, having maintained a 3.75 GPA at high school.
“It was a tough choice,” Boateng said. “I wrestled with it a lot, but at the end of the day I thought it was the best choice for me.” For Boateng, the choice was not simply about returning to Cate for his senior season or enrolling early at UCSB, there were other professional clubs also in the mix.
Manchester City has been closely monitoring the star for the past few years after inviting him on trial in 2010 and was poised to sign him this summer .“I considered it,” Boateng said about joining the English Premier League Champions. “Thinking about leaving [to join City] in mid-July . . . but I think I made the right choice right now to wait and get the collegiate experience."
Boateng’s role model is Steve Gerard of Liverpool. Boateng enjoys playing central midfield and is also a utility player. He is eligible to play for either Ghana or USA national team. He is one player that I really admire and won’t be surprised to see him rise to be the best in Africa and subsequently in the world in future.
No comments:
Post a Comment