Jérôme Boateng joins Trabzonspor coaching staff as assistant to Thomas Reis

Instagram announcement

Former Germany international Jérôme Boateng has confirmed that he is part of the coaching staff of Trendyol Süper Lig club Trabzonspor, working as assistant to head coach Thomas Reis. Boateng, now 38, ended his professional playing career in September 2025. In an Instagram post he wrote:

I am very proud and happy to be part of the coaching team. It means a lot to me to learn from Thomas Reis and his team every day.

He added that he wants to pass on his own experience as a player and work with the players on and off the pitch. Turkish media had reported in late September 2026 that an agreement on his assistant role had been reached. Sources differ on the club's standing: German outlets describe Trabzonspor as fifth in the table, while the Portuguese outlet SAPO places it fourth with 13 points.

1. 2024Landgericht München I finds him guilty of intentional bodily harm against a former partner, issuing a warning
2. 2025Planned FC Bayern coaching internship blocked after fan protests
3. 2025-09Ends his professional playing career
4. Late September 2026Turkish media report an agreement on his assistant role at Trabzonspor
5. Oct 13, 2026Confirms the role on Instagram

Squad and head coach

Reis, a German coach who has previously worked at VfL Bochum and Schalke 04, leads a squad that includes Mohamed Salah, who moved from Liverpool to Trabzonspor this summer according to German reports. SAPO also lists Fabinho and the Portuguese player Noah Saviolo in the squad. Boateng says he is learning from Reis and the team every day, and that he can share his experience and work with players both on the pitch and off it.

Bayern internship and 2024 conviction

Boateng's first attempt at a coaching role came in 2025, when a planned internship in the FC Bayern coaching team under Vincent Kompany was blocked after strong fan protests. Kompany had invited him, according to n-tv. Boateng then said he had decided to focus on other topics "after the recent discussions about my person". The background is a 2024 ruling by the Landgericht München I, which found him guilty of intentional bodily harm against a former partner but only issued a warning. A fine of 40 day-fines of 5,000 euros was imposed, conditionally. Boateng denies ever having hit a woman.

Playing career and coaching plans

Boateng played for Hertha, Hamburger SV and Manchester City before ten seasons at Bayern, which ended in 2021. He later played for Lyon, Salernitana and LASK Linz, where his contract was dissolved by mutual agreement in summer 2025. He then announced his retirement on Instagram. In September 2025 he told Welt am Sonntag:

I want to become a coach in professional football.

He said he had recently passed the B-licence course and exam, and planned to take the A-licence and the Fußball-Lehrer qualification before joining a club as assistant coach as soon as possible.