Player profile

Seen by many as the great underachiever of Ghanaian football, Derek Boateng has again hit top form at just the right time to squeeze into a World Cup squad.

Signed by Greek side Kalamata at the age of just 16, his trawl through the European Leagues was really kick-started at Panathinaikos in 2001. He failed to live up to expectations and was shipped out on loan to OFI Crete.

His next stint got off to a shocking start as he was part of the side that saw AIK relegated from the Swedish top flight. His form gradually picked up ahead of the World Cup in Germany and, after a successful tournament, he was off again, this time to Israeli side Beitar Jerusalem.

He played under Ossie Ardiles and captured two Israeli Premier League titles in a spell where he became the highest-paid player in the league. He then moved to Cologne, but lasted just half a season before he was given the opportunity to play in La Liga with Getafe last year.

His appearances for Ghana have been fitful and he has managed just a handful of caps since making his debut eight-and-a-half years ago. He came to prominence at the 2001 World Youth Championships where he was named as one of the tournament’s rising stars.

He played three out of Ghana’s four games at the last World Cup and would have appeared at January’s Africa Cup of Nations but Getafe invoked a rule that his call-up, as a late injury replacement, did not come with the required 14-day notice period.

In 2002 he was nearly signed by Steve McClaren at Middlesbrough, but was denied a work permit due to his lack of international appearances.