The curious case of Bojan (Marc) Sometimes in football a young player breaks through at a club and they seem destined to be a star. We’ve all had these moments when you look at a player and think ‘Yeah, this lad will be great’. Bojan Krkic was one of these players. We were all wrong, kind of. Having made his debut for Barcelona aged 16 years and 26 days, Bojan had already broke the record for youngest ever Barcelona player – one previously set by Lionel Messi. The Spanish striker, whose father is Serbian, wasn’t finished breaking records there though. Against Villarreal in October 2007 only a couple of months after his debut, he became the youngest player ever to score for Barcelona in La Liga. He was just 17 years and 51 days old. Soon after, Bojan would become the first footballer born in the 1990’s to play in the Champions League. Bojan wasn’t adverse to breaking records though. Having joined Barcelona’s famed academy La Masia at the age of eight, he spent his years at the academy amassing an absurd scoring record; netting over 850 goals during his time rising through the ranks. Aged 15, he was joint top-scorer at the 2006 Under-17 European Championships. A year later and he scored the winning goal for Spain in the final of the same tournament. In his first season at Barcelona Bojan’s scoring record was near miraculous, for a club of Barcelona’s stature. Throughout Bojan’s debut season he made 48 appearances, scoring twelve goals and setting up another six. Having made such an immediate impact, his then manager Frank Rijkaard described Bojan as a “treasure.” While breaking through as a young star for a relatively under-performing side, the pressure slowly but inevitably built for Bojan. One magazine described him as the Revelation of the Year; he was Barca’s “great hope”. “Overnight, I couldn’t even walk down the street,” he admitted. “I couldn’t go to a birthday party or to the cinema,” said Bojan. Soon Bojan’s career would already be on the wane. Rijkaard was sacked in the summer of 2008 and in came Pep Guardiola. Guardiola immediately told Bojan to go and play for Barcelona B, yet Bojan seemingly refused. Following a struggle between declaring for Spain or Serbia he was finally called up to represent Spain, yet he pulled out with what was reported to be a panic attack. He would have been breaking another record; the youngest Spanish player ever, at 17 years, five months and nine days. The reason as to why he may have been suffering seemingly great pressure seem both obvious and varied, yet no more than the fact he was taking the place of Raul. Spain’s once ‘great white knight, as Spanish writer Sid Lowe wrote in 2009. Bojan was then called up for Euro 2008 but once again he pulled out. He was, he said, “physically and emotionally shattered”. For any player to decline representing his nation at a major tournament is rare. His comments as to why he did so didn’t quench any uncertainty following his decision. “My commitment to the Spanish set-up can’t be called into doubt when you consider that I have always played when I have been called upon to do so. I played at a [UEFA] European Championship and a [FIFA] World Cup at Under-17 level and took part in three or four games with the Under-21s. There are no personal problems, I’m just exhausted and I need to disconnect”, said the striker in the autumn of 2008. Following a summer of unwanted headlines for a player clearly suffering with the perils of early stardom, his career would only wane. Under Guardiola, in Bojan’s second season, he featured in eight fewer league games than in his previous season, and it was the same story in his third. Bojan played more under Rijkaard than for any manager since. In 2011 Bojan left Barcelona for Roma, then managed by former Barcelona player and reserve manager Luis Enrique. The move seemed to make sense. He was provided the time, if not the perfect platform, to succeed. Bojan made 33 appearances in his first season, more than any other player that season, and although only in patches did show form; scoring seven and assisting once. Yet Roma weren’t impressed. The physical style of Serie A exposed the striker’s featherweight stature, and in a complicated deal which could have cost Roma $40m, they decided to pass on keeping the striker. Next was a loan move to Milan to play for the Rossoneri. He started just nine games – he made a further 14 appearances from the bench – scored just three goals proving to make little no impact for a club in decline. Bojan though, was still young and had a chance yet to prove himself. The next destination was Ajax, and although perhaps seen as a step down, made sense from a football level. The Amsterdam club were known to play the Barcelona way before Barcelona did, so surely he’d fit in. Bojan started well at Ajax, yet once again flattered to deceive and quickly petered out. According to OptaJohan, it took him 665 playing minutes to score his first goal for the Amsterdam club – he would only add three more to his season’s tally – and although he had three assists in his first six league games, he would record no more for the remainder of the season. Bojan went back to Barcelona, and although he received many offers, notably from Deportivo La Coruna, he chose Staffordshire as his destination, and Stoke City. While Mark Hughes is undoubtedly trying to shed Stoke’s long ball tag, honed by Tony Pulis, it’s still a major culture change for Bojan. Let’s not forget much of Bojan’s failings in Italy were down to the physical nature of the league; the Premier League is harder if anything in that regard. Having struggled early on, Bojan has grown into life at Stoke. While usually starting well only to drop off, Bojan’s time in England so far has been the opposite and perhaps a sign of a brighter future in England than many had expected. Having scored an excellent goal against Spurs Bojan already showed he still retains much of the quality witnessed in his debut season seven years ago. Watching Bojan wow the Anfield crowd on the weekend it was undeniable that this is a player schooled in the right way. His touch was adroit and measured; shifting the ball between Martin Skrtel bewildered legs, Bojan then hit the post in the moment of the match – then minutes later nearly scoring a Van Basten-esque volley which Simon Mignolet tipped over. Although suffering defeat, Bojan’s second half performance is what stood out. At 24 years of age, Bojan has time on his side to save his career. He may have always struggled to shift the stigma attached to his early career. Yet oddly, Stoke may be the peculiar haven he’s always needed.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 12:57:09 +0000
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