Kevin-Prince Boateng (German: [ˈkɛvɪn ˈpʁɪns boaˈtɛŋ]; born 6 March 1987) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder or forward.

[10] Boateng made his first team debut in a 2–0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt in the second round of the 2005–06 Bundesliga season on 13 August 2005, at the Olympic Stadium, being brought on at the beginning of the second half.

[12] Boateng signed a four-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur in July 2007 for a reported £5.4 million, securing him ahead of UEFA Cup holders Sevilla.

[16][17][18] English Premier League club Portsmouth signed Boateng on a three-year contract in August 2009 for a reported fee of around £4 million.

[28] Boateng also criticised Joachim Löw for protecting Ballack after he slapped striker Lukas Podolski in a Germany national football team training match the previous year.

[41] In August 2013, he was quoted as saying he had changed his style since signing for Milan, from playing primarily as a defensive midfielder to adopting the role of trequartista.

[56] He made his official return debut on 9 January 2016, playing 36 minutes against Roma in a 1–1 draw and scored his first goal in his first match back at the San Siro six days later against Fiorentina in a 2–0 win.

[57] On 25 May 2016, club owner Silvio Berlusconi announced Boateng's departure, along with those of Alex, Philippe Mexès and Mario Balotelli.

[58] On 2 August 2016, Spanish La Liga club Las Palmas announced that they had reached an agreement with Boateng for his signature following his release from Milan.

[61] On 16 August 2017, Las Palmas announced that Boateng had cancelled his contract by the club by mutual consent, citing "irreversible personal reasons" for the decision.

[70] He made his debut for the club on 24 August in the opening game of the 2019–20 Serie A season, coming on as a substitute in the second half and scoring a goal in an eventual 4–3 home loss to Napoli.

[73] On 28 September 2020, Boateng moved to newly promoted Serie B side Monza on a one-year contract, with the option to extend for a further year.

[79][80] In February 2009, Boateng was called up to the Germany U21 team by new coach Horst Hrubesch for the international match against the Republic of Ireland in Cork.

FIFA's decision to reverse the rules in 2009 had given Boateng the green light to switch his allegiance, and time appeared to be running out when his clearance to represent the Black Stars had still not arrived at the beginning of May 2010.

[83] Boateng was selected as part of the Ghana squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa by head coach Milovan Rajevac,[28] to fill in for the injured Michael Essien alongside defensive midfielder Anthony Annan.

[91] Boateng picked up the ball from the half-way line, dribbled it "rapidly bamboozling" his opponents before scoring with a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area in the fourth minute of a 2–1 win over the United States in the round-of-16 in Rustenburg's Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace on 26 June.

[92] In November 2011, Boateng announced his international retirement, citing fatigue from travel at the age of 24 years, thus missing the chance to contest the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

[93] In September 2012, Marseille's Ghanaian striker and close friend André Ayew revealed that Boateng was considering reversing his decision to retire, but he did not play in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations either.

[97] On 19 November 2013, he came on as a 79th-minute substitute in the second leg and scored Ghana's only goal in the 89th minute as the Black Stars secured qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

[101][102] On 26 June, Boateng was sent home and suspended from the Ghana squad for disciplinary reasons, only hours before the final group match against Portugal, after he was alleged to have verbally abused former manager James Kwesi Appiah during a team meeting.

[104][105] On 29 June, Boateng had hit back at the Ghana Football Association, describing the Black Stars' organisation during the tournament as "amateurish".

[106] Boateng is a quick, dynamic, physically strong and well-rounded midfielder, known for his aggression, eye for goal, long-range shooting ability, flair, footspeed, ball-juggling tricks, and dribbling skills.

[112] A 2014 profile on FIFA's official website described Boateng as being "blessed with strength, speed, killer instinct in front of goal, and an uncommon flamboyance in the attacking third.

[118] His former Hertha BSC teammate Niko Kovač has also praised Boateng for his leadership, stating: "Kevin gives the team a sense of stability, both mentally and physically," also describing him as a "warrior.

He delivered his first speech in that role accompanied by UN human rights chief Navi Pillay at the United Nations Office at Geneva.

[139] In August 2018, he released a rap song under the alias PRIN$$ Boateng named King on the World Star Hip Hop channel.