# Dedryck Boyata
**Dedryck Boyata** (full name Anga Dedryck Boyata; born 1990 in Brussels) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a center-back and earned 31 caps for the Belgium national team without scoring.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/dedryck-boyata/profil/spieler/88262) • [2](https://www.rbfa.be/en/national-teams/red-devils/all-red-devils) His club career took him from Manchester City, where he won the 2014 English title, through loan spells in England and the Netherlands, four consecutive Scottish championships with Celtic, a captaincy at [Hertha BSC](https://www.edgepedia.org/hertha-bsc) in Berlin, and a Belgian title with Club Brugge.[3](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/dedryck-boyata/216091) He retired on 12 August 2025 and immediately moved into coaching as assistant manager of the Belgium under-21 team.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/dedryck-boyata/profil/spieler/88262)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990, Brussels, Belgium; height 1.88 m; right-footed center-back[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/dedryck-boyata/profil/spieler/88262) |
| Citizenship | Belgium and DR Congo; son of former player Bienvenu Mandungu Boyata[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/dedryck-boyata/profil/spieler/88262) |
| International career | 31 caps, 0 goals for Belgium; in the squads for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups[2](https://www.rbfa.be/en/national-teams/red-devils/all-red-devils) • [4](https://datencenter.dfb.de/en/competitions/fifa-world-cup/seasons/2022-in-qatar/teams/belgium) |
| Most games for | Celtic, where he won four Scottish titles (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/dedryck-boyata/profil/spieler/88262) • [3](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/dedryck-boyata/216091) |
| Hertha BSC | 76 competitive games and 6 goals from 2019 to 2022; captain for two seasons[5](https://www.herthabsc.com/en/news/2022/08/transfer-dedryck-boyata-2223) |
| Club Brugge | 26 games and 1 goal from August 2022; Belgian champion in 2024[6](https://www.clubbrugge.be/en/news/contract-tussen-club-brugge-en-dedryck-boyata-in-onderling-overleg-be%C3%ABindigd) • [3](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/dedryck-boyata/216091) |
| Retirement | Ended his career on 12 August 2025; assistant manager of Belgium U21[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/dedryck-boyata/profil/spieler/88262) |
## Early life and youth career
Boyata grew up in Brussels and came through the youth systems of RCS Saint-Josse, White Star Woluwe, and RWDM Brussels FC, where he played from 2003 to 2006 before joining Manchester City's academy.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/dedryck-boyata/profil/spieler/88262) Football ran in the family: his father, Bienvenu Mandungu Boyata, was also a professional player.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/dedryck-boyata/profil/spieler/88262)
## Club career
**Manchester City and the loan years.** Boyata began his professional career at Manchester City, where he was part of the squad that won the Premier League in 2014 and also collected a League Cup winner's medal.[7](https://www.fanafoot.com/joueur/dedryck-boyata) • [8](https://www.365scores.com/football/player/dedryk-boyata-1511) First-team opportunities were limited, and he spent time away on loan: to Bolton Wanderers from 26 August 2011 and to Twente in the Netherlands from 31 August 2012, both for undisclosed fees.[9](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/83274/dedryck-boyata)
**Celtic, 2015 to 2019.** In the summer of 2015 Boyata moved to Celtic, with the transfer dated 1 July 2015 and reported as a €2 million fee by 365Scores and £1.5 million by [Sky Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-sports).[8](https://www.365scores.com/football/player/dedryk-boyata-1511) • [9](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/83274/dedryck-boyata) He became a regular in a side that dominated Scottish football, winning the [Premiership](https://www.edgepedia.org/premiership) in each of his four seasons there, 2016 through 2019.[3](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/dedryck-boyata/216091) His final season was turbulent: in August 2018 he was left out of a Betfred Cup match, and his absence from a Champions League qualifier drew public criticism, with [Stiliyan Petrov](https://www.edgepedia.org/stiliyan-petrov) suggesting his Celtic career was over.[9](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/83274/dedryck-boyata) That same summer, Sevilla explored signing him, valuing the defender at around £10 million while he was in the last year of his contract.[10](https://as.com/futbol/2018/08/12/primera/1534065072_486024.html) He left at the end of his contract in May 2019.[11](https://www.thecelticwiki.com/players/all-time-a-to-z-of-celtic-players/b/boyata-dedryck/)
**Hertha BSC, 2019 to 2022.** Boyata joined the German Bundesliga club Hertha BSC on a free transfer on 1 July 2019.[8](https://www.365scores.com/football/player/dedryk-boyata-1511) He made 76 competitive appearances and scored 6 goals for the Berlin club, and served as captain for two seasons, playing a part in keeping the team up in the 2021-22 season.[5](https://www.herthabsc.com/en/news/2022/08/transfer-dedryck-boyata-2223) His time in Berlin was interrupted by injuries, a red-card suspension, and illness, and in the summer of 2022 the club told him it wanted to go in another direction.[5](https://www.herthabsc.com/en/news/2022/08/transfer-dedryck-boyata-2223)
**Club Brugge, 2022 to 2025.** On 22 August 2022 Boyata transferred from Hertha BSC to Club Brugge in the [Belgian Pro League](https://www.edgepedia.org/belgian-pro-league).[5](https://www.herthabsc.com/en/news/2022/08/transfer-dedryck-boyata-2223) • [8](https://www.365scores.com/football/player/dedryk-boyata-1511) He played 26 games and scored once for the club, and was part of the squad that won the 2024 Belgian championship.[6](https://www.clubbrugge.be/en/news/contract-tussen-club-brugge-en-dedryck-boyata-in-onderling-overleg-be%C3%ABindigd) • [3](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/dedryck-boyata/216091) In August 2025, Boyata and Club Brugge agreed to terminate his contract, and he announced his retirement from playing shortly afterward.[6](https://www.clubbrugge.be/en/news/contract-tussen-club-brugge-en-dedryck-boyata-in-onderling-overleg-be%C3%ABindigd) • [1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/dedryck-boyata/profil/spieler/88262)
## International career
Boyata was a long-serving member of Belgium's so-called golden generation, earning 31 caps for the Red Devils without scoring.[2](https://www.rbfa.be/en/national-teams/red-devils/all-red-devils) He was named in Belgium's squad for the 2018 [FIFA World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-world-cup) and was in the squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he was listed among the defenders under coach Roberto Martinez.[12](https://ffm.mk/media/files/142730-World-Cup-Report-2018.pdf) • [4](https://datencenter.dfb.de/en/competitions/fifa-world-cup/seasons/2022-in-qatar/teams/belgium) At Euro 2020 he made 2 appearances, playing 180 minutes.[13](https://www.derbydatahub.com/player/dedryk-boyata-1108)
## After retirement
Within days of ending his playing career on 12 August 2025, Boyata joined the staff of the Belgium under-21 national team as assistant manager, working under head coach Gill Swerts.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.us/dedryck-boyata/profil/spieler/88262) • [14](https://www.transfermarkt.fr/dedryck-boyata/profil/trainer/146586)
## Honours
- Premier League: 2013-14, with Manchester City[3](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/dedryck-boyata/216091)
- [Scottish Premiership](https://www.edgepedia.org/scottish-premiership): 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, with Celtic[3](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/dedryck-boyata/216091)
- Belgian Pro League (Jupiler Pro League): 2023-24, with Club Brugge[3](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/dedryck-boyata/216091)
## References
1. [Dedryck Boyata – Player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.us/dedryck-boyata/profil/spieler/88262)
2. [All Belgian Red Devils, Royal Belgian FA](https://www.rbfa.be/en/national-teams/red-devils/all-red-devils)
3. [Dedryck Boyata – fiche joueur, L'Équipe](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/dedryck-boyata/216091)
4. [Belgium squad, FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, DFB data center](https://datencenter.dfb.de/en/competitions/fifa-world-cup/seasons/2022-in-qatar/teams/belgium)
5. [Dedryck Boyata leaves Hertha BSC, Hertha BSC](https://www.herthabsc.com/en/news/2022/08/transfer-dedryck-boyata-2223)
6. [Club Brugge and Dedryck Boyata agree to terminate contract, Club Brugge](https://www.clubbrugge.be/en/news/contract-tussen-club-brugge-en-dedryck-boyata-in-onderling-overleg-be%C3%ABindigd)
7. [Dedryck Boyata – parcours, Fanafoot](https://www.fanafoot.com/joueur/dedryck-boyata)
8. [Dedryck Boyata – Bio, stats and news, 365Scores](https://www.365scores.com/football/player/dedryk-boyata-1511)
9. [Dedryck Boyata – Belgium player profile, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/83274/dedryck-boyata)
10. [Interés del Sevilla en Boyata, AS](https://as.com/futbol/2018/08/12/primera/1534065072_486024.html)
11. [Boyata, Dedryck – The Celtic Wiki](https://www.thecelticwiki.com/players/all-time-a-to-z-of-celtic-players/b/boyata-dedryck/)
12. [2018 FIFA World Cup technical report, Belgium/UEFA](https://ffm.mk/media/files/142730-World-Cup-Report-2018.pdf)
13. [Anga Dedryck Boyata – Stats, Goals & Career, Derby Data Hub](https://www.derbydatahub.com/player/dedryk-boyata-1108)
14. [Dedryck Boyata – Profil manager, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.fr/dedryck-boyata/profil/trainer/146586)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license