Derek Boateng was one of the stars of the Ghana team that finished as runners-up to hosts Argentina in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, but his senior international career is still to take off. The 23-year-old has struggled to establish himself in the Black Stars' starting line-up and his selection for Germany 2006 came as a surprise, as he had been in the international wilderness for almost two years. The hard-working midfielder has spent most of his club career in Europe and had spells with Greek sides Kalamata, Panathinaikos and OFI Crete before joining AIK Stockholm in 2003. He struggled during his first two seasons in Sweden, but his form in 2005 was a major factor in AIK winning promotion to the Allsvenskan.