Boro boss Gareth Southgate dropped Boateng for their clash with Sunderland last month.
He said: “People will write me off, that’s fine. They will be the same people giving me compliments at the end of the year.
“I’m not going to hide … my character will speak for itself. Great sportsmen have that little bit extra and those who hide will fail.
“We all make mistakes but you need men to stand up and be counted – everyone has to do their job.”
