Jerome Boateng was praised for never forgetting his roots. PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images

Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng has received the Moses-Mendelssohn Prize for his commitment to tolerance and understanding.

Boateng, Germany's Footballer of the Year was honoured by Berlin's senate during a ceremony at the Red City Hall in the German capital on Tuesday.

The Moses-Mendelsohn-Prize, named after the 18th century Jewish philosopher is awarded every two years.

Boateng, born in Berlin to a Ghanaian father and a German mother, "never forgot his roots despite his success," mayor Michael Muller said.

Muller praised the Germany international for his work with children and teenagers in social projects.

Boateng told the ceremony that teenagers and children from migrant backgrounds should not be inhibited by those backgrounds or by the colour of their skin.

Last month, he was welcomed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the annual open day at the federal chancellery in Berlin.

Meanwhile, Boateng and his half-brothers, George and former AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince, will be the subject of a play being staged in Berlin from October.

The play tells the story of how they took their first steps in football on a caged pitch in Wedding, a deprived area of Berlin, and is based on a book published in 2012.