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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Etienne Arthur Boka[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1983-04-02)2 April 1983 (age 42) | ||
| Place of birth | Abidjan, Ivory Coast | ||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position | Left back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–2002 | ASEC Mimosas | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2004 | Beveren | 59 | (4) |
| 2004–2006 | Strasbourg | 66 | (2) |
| 2006–2014 | VfB Stuttgart | 154 | (5) |
| 2014–2016 | Málaga | 37 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Sion | 3 | (0) |
| 2022 | Atlético de Marbella | 2 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2004–2015 | Ivory Coast | 82 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 03:30, 22 March 2017 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 00:00, 17 November 2015 (UTC) | |||
Etienne Arthur Boka (born 2 April 1983) is an Ivorian former professionalfootballer who played as aleft back for theIvory Coast national team. At club level, he last played forAtlético de Marbella in the seventh-tierPrimera Andaluza.[2]
He was a part of the Ivory Coast squads at twoFIFA World Cups and fiveAfrica Cups of Nations between 2006 and 2013. Boka is known for his lightning pace even though he is a man of a very small build.
Like many successful players from Ivory Coast, he started his career at homeland clubASEC Abidjan, after coming through their much famed youth system, that has also produced players such asKolo Touré,Emmanuel Eboué, andAruna Dindane. He joined the club after walking in from the streets of Ivory Coast capitalAbidjan and asking for a trial. Following his graduation from the academy he moved on to Belgian clubK.S.K. Beveren in 2002, where impressive performances earned him a transfer to the then Ligue 1 clubRC Strasbourg in France for the 2004–05 season. He impressed further at Strasbourg, but following their relegation at the end of the 2005–06 season he left to join German top-flight clubVfB Stuttgart.[3] His impressive attack minded play from his left-back position have earned him the nickname of "The AfricanRoberto Carlos". In the 2006–07 season Boka won theBundesliga title withVfB Stuttgart.
On 14 January 2009 he extended his contract at VfB Stuttgart until the summer of 2012.[4] On 30 May 2012, Boka signed a new one-year contract with an option for a further year at VfB Stuttgart.[5] Boka used to be playing asleft back, but in the middle of2012–13 Bundesliga season he began playing asdefensive midfielder. On 1 May 2014, Boka agreed a transfer to SpanishLa Liga sideMálaga CF, signing a two-year deal with theAndalusians.[6] He made his debut in the competition on 29 August, starting in a 0–3 away loss againstValencia CF.[7] He joined Swiss teamFC Sion in July 2016 but left in February 2017 after just threeSuper League appearances.[8]
Boka has 72caps for theIvory Coast, scored one goal, and was called up to the2006 World Cup, where he played all three group games for the Elephants, where he performed impressively, gaining one assist. He was also called up to the2010 World Cup, where he played the final group match againstNorth Korea gaining two assists.
He represented Ivory Coast in the2006 Africa Cup of Nations and was also part of the Ivorian squad at the2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana. Boka was also called up for the2010 Africa Cup of Nations, the2012 Africa Cup of Nations and the2013 Africa Cup of Nations. With Ivory Coast, Boka reached the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2012, but they were beaten on penalties on both occasions.
| Club | Division | Season | League | Cups | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Beveren | Jupiler Pro League | 2002–03 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 3 |
| 2003–04 | 29 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||
| Total | 59 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 4 | ||
| Strasbourg | Ligue 1 | 2004–05 | 34 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| 2005–06 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 38 | 1 | ||
| Ligue 2 | 2006–07 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | |
| Total | 66 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 83 | 3 | ||
| VfB Stuttgart | Bundesliga | 2006–07 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| 2007–08 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 29 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 30 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | 25 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 38 | 3 | ||
| 2013–14 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 1 | ||
| Total | 154 | 5 | 18 | 1 | 35 | 1 | 207 | 7 | ||
| Málaga | La Liga | 2014–15 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 303 | 11 | 36 | 1 | 43 | 2 | 382 | 14 | ||
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 August 2004 | Parc des Sports,Avignon, France |  Senegal | 2–1 | Win | Friendly match |
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VfB Stuttgart
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