The former Germany youth international now turned Ghana player took out Germany captain Michael Ballack with one tackle that he himself admits was stupid. Ballack attempted to carry on but he couldn't and on Monday he discovered the tackle will rule him out for eight weeks and effectively the world cup in South Africa.
Germany have lost their talisman and captain. The man who drove two ordinary German sides to the finals of the 2002 World Cup and the 2008 European Championships will not be on hand to spur their challenge at the 2010 World Cup.
And at 33, Boateng's tackle effectively has ensured that Ballack won't possibly have another crack at a big time tournament. No wonder he is furious, no wonder Germany is furious and no wonder the country has its hatred juices overflowing.
Anti-Boateng websites are popping up everywhere even when the player has attempted to douse the fuse with three apologies.
"All I can do is apologise," Boateng said. "I was just too late and I hit him straight on. It looked stupid. I apologised to him twice on the field and now for a third time. I am sorry. It was not intentional."
You can understand Ballack's frustration. Sorry won't heal the wounds; sorry won't take him to the World Cup. Sorry still won't take away the fact that he would so easily have earned his been well into a century of caps by the time the World Cup kicks off.
_quoteYet all that doesn't justify some of the plain hatred and the suggestion by Michael Becker, Ballack's agent that he they could be heading to court. What for only he can knows. Plainly put it is a stupid thought, as stupid as the tackle.
Can you imagine what this sport we so badly love would became if every player decided after one bad tackle to sue for damages? We would never finish, the referee's power will become diminished and there would be no end to the chaos.
"Every spectator could see what Boateng has done and that was clearly a premeditated foul," Becker said. "It is not possible that somebody breaks the rules with the intent to cause injury. The football field is not outside the law, even if Boateng believes that."
Sorry Mr Becker but when Aaron Ramsey's leg was split into two by that reckless Ryan Shawcross tackle, the Welshman got a year out, Ramsey was back playing before the season ended. Eduardo stayed on the touchlines for a year and closer home, Michael Essien was forced to watch the Nations Cup on television in 2006 when Nigel Reo Coker's tackle ruled him of the Nations Cup.
Ghana's Nations Cup hopes were in bits as a result, Essien became public enemy number one in Ghana because he was accused of feigning it but in the end life went on.
The thought of court clearly sounds like an empty threat but what has been established beyond every doubt is that Boateng, born to a German mother and a Ghanaian father has become public enemy number one. And that has not been helped by the poor timing of revelations by his father that his feud with Ballack goes back to four years ago.
If you are a neutral though it adds quiet some spice to the meeting of Ghana versus Germany in Johannesburg on June 23.
The potential of two brothers up against each other for the first time in World Cup history. A crop of German players who are unlikely to forget by then the role Kevin-Prince played in knocking their captain out of the world cup and a player who is desperate to prove Germany were wrong not to believe in him despite his early promise.
Ghanaians will be hoping that rage at German injustice, his fury at the present backlash will translate into positive emotions in Johannesburg on June 23.
It is ironical that as Germans mourn the loss of their captain and direct their collection national rage at a man who is effectively one of their own having been born and bred there, he is finding even more favour in a country he barely knows apart from the fact that Ghana is where his father originally comes from.
That has not stopped the outpouring of support. In a cruel way they are doing him a favour in Ghana and helping to turn on the love of a nation with their rage. Given all the drama, I can't wait for June 23 when hopefully Boateng will be making the headlines for the right reasons.