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It’s a starry night in Pamplona on the 16th of September, 2007. Barcelona are unable to crack down the resilient Osasuna defence, even with 64% possession. The 78th minute beckons the arrival of a mop-haired, a pale-green-eyed teenager, just 19 days after his 17th birthday.
Fables of the 500 goals he had struck in the youth teams wander in whispers from one mouth to another, accompanied by an approving nod here and a creeping smile there. He may have been born to a Serbian father, but he was the latest product from the La Masia production line.
Having just broken Lionel Messi’s record for being the youngest player to have appeared for the Catalan club, Bojan Krkic was touted to become a much bigger star than Lionel Messi, 3 years his senior. It was predicted that by 2010 he would be the best, most talented player in Europe and the world.
And yet, in 2010, it was Lionel Messi who was still sat atop his throne, golden ball in hand, while Bojan was left to wallow on the bench at Barcelona, still searching for his road to the promised land of success.
The Liñola-born winger was nimble-footed, had smart movement and was clever in link-up play, all added to his pre-established knack for goals and Frank Rijkaard saw a swan among ducks; a talent above the ordinary.
Bojan thrived on the confidence of the Dutchman and appeared 48 times that season in all competitions, finding the net a remarkable 12 times, out of which 10 came in the league. This meant he had broken Raul’s 13-year-strong record of scoring the most goals in a debut season. All this and he was only 17. Not even a fully-developed player yet, his potential was already soaring up and beyond the wispy Catalonian clouds.
However, the summer brought the departure of Rijkaard and the appointment of Pep Guardiola, who was not as smitten with Bojan as his predecessor had been. He dropped to the very end of the pecking order, and was limited to substitute appearances. To be fair, little of it was either Bojan or Pep’s fault.
The Barcelona frontline formula Pep had used was clicking and sacrificing one of them to give an 18-year-old chances may not have seemed the most logical choice. Bojan did get minutes, but they were so scattered he could not bring any consistency. He would go months and months on a drought and then score a few on the trot before he lost his form again.
Bojan’s time at Barcelona can maybe be summed up in one moment. In the Champions League semifinal vs Inter Milan, the young Spaniard was introduced in place of ex-Nerazzuri striker Ibrahimovic to desperately try to overcome the waterproof, compact Italian defence.
Having scored the precious away goal at the San Siro, and needing a 2-0 win to progress to the finals, Pique’s goal in the 84th minute offered a lifeline for the Catalans. A few minutes later and the ball found its way to Pique – still meddling around the Inter box, who tried to poke it through for Yaya Toure.
Lucio’s interception only travelled as far as the Ivory Coast man himself, hitting Yaya and falling conveniently at his feet for him to spot the intelligent run behind by Bojan and pick him out. Bojan made no mistake, firing the ball well past the flailing and hapless Julio Cesar. Hero. Saviour. He’d send Barcelona through to the final, where they would attempt to retain their crown. He’d help the Catalans in getting that victory they wanted against Mourinho, for all that he had spoken.
Perhaps, in an alternate universe. Perhaps, in a different life. For the ball had just struck the back of the net when referee de Bleeckere’s whistle sounded. A contentious call, the referee claimed that Yaya Toure had handled the ball when it came back to him from Lucio’s corner. Fate’s hand had its way and Bojan’s goal did not stand.
His four years at Barcelona saw the departure of Eto’o and Henry but as if to make up, the arrival (and later, departure) of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Villa. The capture of Alexis Sanchez and emergence of Isaac Cuenca and Cristian Tello did not help his cause either and ultimately, it was obvious Bojan had to seek another shore to ply his trade.
Choosing not to move anywhere else in Spain, Bojan chose Italian outfit Roma, choosing to work with Luis Enrique. However, nothing seemed to click in the Roman capital for Bojan with Osvaldo or young Fabio Borini being preferred to him on the left flank. The following season, he was sent to AC Milan on loan.
In a muddle of paperwork, Bojan was Roma’s player, on loan at Milan, with an option for Milan to buy him, but the buy-back clause that Barcelona had was still active too. On the field, Bojan was hardly hitting stride, he did not even seem as good a player, never mind prospect, as he was when he was 17. He finished his time in Italy with a total of 10 goals in 2 seasons for Roma and Milan, coming in 60 odd appearances.
Krkic at Ajax Amsterdam
Last summer, Barcelona decided to exercise their buy-back and brought Bojan back home… only to send him on loan to Ajax for the season. This should have been a good move for Bojan, bearing in mind the importance the Eredivisie places on technical ability and that Ajax have one of the best honers of talent in Frank de Boer.
Arriving in the Netherlands as a relatively big name, he was expected to fill the void of creativity that the inevitable departure of Christian Eriksen would leave. Bojan did start his Ajax career well, putting in a good performance in the Johan Cruijff schaal. He was handed starts in the first 5 league games, but his influence seemed to diminish with each game. After a hamstring injury that ruled him out for less than 2 months, Bojan found himself 2nd choice at right wing to Lasse Schone, who functions normally in a deeper midfield role.
Frank de Boer has experimented with Bojan as a striker, a position he is no stranger to playing but too often, he drifts away and out or does not put up much of a fight against defenders, thus shrinking in his ability to change the course of the game. He has managed to notch up three assists and two goals (both as a substitute) in Amsterdam so far, though and his crossing ability as such has been good, though his awareness of his teammates can improve.
Sometimes, he would try to take a shot or take on a dribble rather than pass to a teammate in a better position – quite uncharacteristic of a La Masia graduate, it would seem. In Ajax’s system of constant positional interchange and the obligation it poses to all players of doing their defensive work too, it does seem as though Bojan does not involve himself as much as he should.
Bojan Krkic is still only 23. Though it feels like he has been around for a long long time, his career can still be revived, it may not yet be beyond repair. However, it has been almost 7 years since Bojan debuted against Osasuna but he does not seem to have grown as a player, and that is worrying.
Once touted as a player who would be bigger than Lionel Messi, he is not even a mainstay in Ajax’s first XI. Once touted as a player who would take the world by storm, his past is now replete with ‘if onlys’ and ‘what ifs’, while his future is as unclear as a stormy sky before a tempest.
