He made his debut for Manchester City with a substitute appearance during a 1–0 victory against Chelsea on 25 September 2010. He followed this with a first competitive start in a 1–1 Europa League draw with Juventus, playing at right-back. In his one season with City, Boateng made 24 appearances. He also won the 2010–11 FA Cup despite not being a member of the matchday squad for the final.