2014 World Cup winner Boateng announces retirement

On September 20, 2025, 37-year-old German central defender Jerome Boateng officially announced the end of his professional football career, bringing an end to the top football journey that lasted nearly two decades.

On September 19, Boateng posted a goodbye on social media: "I played for a long time and played for great clubs and national teams. Football has taught me a lot, made me win, and experienced failures. It has given me too much. Now it is time to move forward. This is not a forced choice, but what I want to do from the bottom of my heart."

Boateng started his career at Hertha Youth Training Camp in Berlin, and later played for Manchester City for a short time. He really shines in Bayern Munich. During his time as the "King of the South", he made a total of 363 appearances and won many important honors, including 2 Champions League titles and 9 Bundesliga titles.

At the national team level, Boateng played 76 times for the German team, and his most brilliant achievement was to win the championship with the team in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. In addition, he participated in the 2010 and 2018 World Cups, and the 2012 and 2016 European Cups.

After leaving Bayern in 2021, Boateng has traveled to Lyon, Sarenitana and LASK Linz. However, the end of the career was not going well. After joining Linz this summer, the new season was announced after only 13 days, and his contract was terminated early due to his decline in form and off-court storms.

It is worth mentioning that Boateng was involved in a legal dispute in 2018 and was found guilty of committing violence against his ex-girlfriend by a German court. Although he avoided prison, this incident led to his frequent vicious insults by his fans in the stands during his time at Linz, which undoubtedly accelerated the end of his career.