体坛英语新闻：Bayern' s Boateng named as Player of the Year

BERLIN, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- German sport journalists have voted Germany international Jerome Boateng as Player of the Year, following the 57th poll by the sport magazine Kicker on Sunday.

The 27-year-old centre back earned 163 votes from 674 votes counted becoming the second defender, after Juergen Kohler in 1997, to win the poll. Boateng follows on former Wolfsburg player Kevin De Bruyne, who won the poll last year.

Boateng' s teammates Thomas Mueller, with 95 votes, and Robert Lewandowski, with 90 votes, finished on the second and third places respectively, to round off the poll for the "Bavarians" .

"I have not expected this. I am of course incredibly proud that I have been able to achieve something like that," Boateng said. The Germany international joined Bayern Munich in 2011 from Premier League outfit Manchester United.

Since his arrival in Bavaria he provided three goals in 124 competitive outings. He lifted with the German giants the UEFA Champions League title in 2013 and won the domestic league title four straight times, as well as the German Cup three times.

Former Darmstadt coach, and now Augsburg coach, Dirk Schuster reaped the award as the Coach of the Year with 256 votes, followed by Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel with 134 votes and Josep Guardiola with 54 votes. "I accept this award not for me but for the representatives of the entire club," Dirk Schuster said.

Wolfsburg' s Alexandra Popp has been named as the Player of the Year in the women' s competition with 109 votes. Frankfurt' s Mandy Islacker got 63 votes and finished on the second place, followed by Bayern' s Melanie Behringer with 42 votes. "This is a very special award for me as it pays tribute to the performances of an entire season," Popp said.

The poll for the Player of the Year initiated by the Kicker sport magazine takes place since 1960 among the members of the Association of German Sports Journalists (VDS). The award for women has been awarded since 1996. The first Coach of the Year was chosen in 2002.?