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Jerome Boateng voted 2016 German footballer of the year

Felix Tamsut (dpa)August 14, 2016

The Bayern defender has been named as player of the year in an award voted for by German sports journalists. He is the first defender to win the honor since 1997. Manager Dirk Schuster was also acknowledged.

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Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng has been voted German footballer of the year by sports journalists in Germany, German magazine kicker said. Boateng won the vote by a landslide after getting 163 votes, far more than fellow Bayern players Thomas Müller (95) and Robert Lewandowski (90). Boateng is the first defender to win the accolade since Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund stalwart Jürgen Kohler.

"I cannot describe what is going through my mind at the moment. I am naturally proud that I was able to achieve this," said Boateng.

This personal achievement seals an impressive season for Boateng, having won the double in Germany, and having performed for his country during this summer's Euro 2016. Meanwhile, calls for him to be appointed Germany's national team captain are ever growing.

Boateng's Bayern Munich teammates were set to start the season on Sunday with a Supercup encounter against Borussia Dortmund. The defender won't feature due to an injury.

German magazine kicker also announced Sunday that Dirk Schuster was voted German football's manager of the year. Schuster, who recently signed to replace Markus Weinzerl as Augsburg manager, dedicated the prize to the Darmstadt staff, “from the president to the cleaning staff.”

Wolfsburg footballer Andrea Popp was voted the best German female footballer of the year, beating out Frankfurt's Mandy Islacker and Bayern Munich's Melanie Behringer.