Ghana forward Emmanuel Boateng is poised to return to pre-season training at Levante today as he bids to build on an impressive breakout season.
He banged in nine goals during the course of the 2017/18 campaign and put some highly vaunted rivals to the sword with his individual brilliance.
Levante know they have a magnificent talent on their hands and they will look to him to lead the line and fire them to a respectable league position next season.
On May 13, Boateng sent social media into a meltdown after he netted an incredible hat-trick against Barcelona. Lionel Messi and co had gone 36 league games without suffering a single defeat and they arrived at Ciutat de Valencia surging with confidence.
They knew that they would only need to avoid defeat in their final two games and they would become the first team to ever go through an entire league season unbeaten. But they did not reckon with the supreme talents of Boateng.
He crashed in a strike off the bar to put Levante ahead after just nine minutes, and he doubled their lead by bulldozering through the Barcelona defence, rounding goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and slamming into an empty net after evading Nelson Semedo.
Philippe Coutinho pulled one back for the league leaders, but Levante restored their two-goal cushion when Enis Bardhi fired in just after half-time. Boateng then completed the first hat-trick of his career as he smashed home a first-time effort from Antonio Luna’s pass. Levante held on for a 5-4 victory after a fierce Barcelona rally, and Boateng was the man of the moment.
Some fans demanded he be awarded the Ballon d’Or, others touted him for president and many said he can go on to be a star for Ghana. He became the first player since Diego Forlan in 2015 to score a hat-trick against Barcelona, and it was a truly remarkable effort against a defence that had been tight all season long in the league.
He also scored against European champions Real Madrid, showing that nothing fazes this exciting young striker, and big things are expected of him in 2018/19.
Levante finished 15th last season, but the bookmakers believe they could be in for a torrid time in the year ahead. Check out a review of 5Dimes, find the best odds on the market and you will see that Levante are the joint favourites to be relegated from La Liga.
They are predicted to be in the bottom three along with Leganes and Alaves, and it could turn into a long old season for Paco Lopez’s men. But not if Boateng has anything to do with it. He is only 21 years of age and he has already starred on the greatest stage of all, so it would not be at all surprising to see him terrorising La Liga defences throughout the upcoming campaign.
However, the club may well struggle to keep hold of their prize asset. Boateng has been casting admiring glances from Premiership giants Man Utd, and that could be too good an offer for the young man to refuse. “I always dream big,” said Boateng.
“I see myself playing in one of the great clubs of the world in the next five years. Big clubs like Manchester United and Barcelona excite me.”
He has the confidence to match his undoubted talent, so it seems like he has an extremely bright future ahead of him. His fine form saw him earn an international call up with Ghana, and he scored a penalty on his debut they beat Japan 2-0, so he should be a star of the national team, regardless of where he ends up.