Bayern Munich Alumni: Jerome Boateng’s move to Lyon is not panning out

Former Bayern Munich star, Jerome Boateng is struggling at Olympique Lyon. During his time in Munich, Boateng won the Bundesliga nine times, the DFB-Pokal five times, and the Champions League twice. According to Sport Bild, Lyon and coach Peter Bosz hoped that bringing in a World Cup champion with the success that Boateng has had with club and country would be a good move for multiple reasons. The biggest hope was that they wanted Boateng to be a strong leader and a good example for the younger players.

As good as Boateng had been in Munich and as high as the hopes were, reality is starting to sink in for Boateng and his new club. After almost a full season, critics are saying that the good version of Boateng must have stayed in Munich, because it never arrived in Lyon. In the last twelve matches, Boateng hasn’t been on the roster at all. When he does make the roster, he is almost always found to be on the bench at the end of the match — either because he doesn’t get into the match, or because he can only go 60 minutes before requiring to be subbed off. Those in Lyon have called him slow and unstable on the field.

There have also been reports of Boateng yelling at his teammates during games and in training, demanding the respect of younger players. You have to wonder what has happened to Boateng. Even though he may have lost some speed in his latter years at Bayern, he always gave 100 percent and could go 90 minutes when called upon to do so. Could it have been the injuries that plagued him at the beginning of the Ligue 1 season? Or was it the domestic court case that went against him? Maybe a mix of all these things, plus his age catching up with him.

Whatever it is, the Boateng in Lyon doesn’t look like the Boateng in Munich did. He is under contract at Lyon through next season and is set to make €350,000 per month, but Lyon will likely be just fine if the German international would like to move again this summer.