Bojan Krkić facts for kids
Bojan with Roma in 2012
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 28 August 1990 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Linyola, Spain | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward, winger | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bellpuig | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2006 | Barcelona | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Barcelona B | 22 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Barcelona | 104 | (26) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | AS Roma | 33 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | → AC Milan (loan) | 19 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Barcelona | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | → Ajax (loan) | 24 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2019 | Stoke City | 74 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | → Mainz 05 (loan) | 11 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | → Alavés (loan) | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Montreal Impact | 25 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Vissel Kobe | 20 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 345 | (74) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Spain U17 | 20 | (16) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Spain U21 | 21 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Spain | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Bojan Krkić Pérez, often called just Bojan, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a forward or winger. He was born on August 28, 1990.
Bojan started his football journey at Barcelona. He grew up in their famous youth academy, La Masia. He made his first-team debut when he was just 17 years old. This broke a record previously held by Lionel Messi. In his first season, he scored 12 goals in 48 games. He played four seasons at Camp Nou, scoring 41 goals in 162 matches.
In July 2011, Bojan moved to the Italian team AS Roma. He scored seven goals in 37 games there. Then, he spent the 2012–13 season on loan at AC Milan. He scored three goals in 27 games for Milan.
Barcelona bought Bojan back in 2013. He then went on loan to the Dutch club Ajax for the 2013–14 season. He helped Ajax win the Eredivisie title. In July 2014, Bojan joined the English club Stoke City. He later played on loan for Mainz 05 in Germany and Alavés in Spain. After that, he played for Montreal Impact in North America and Vissel Kobe in Japan. He retired from professional football in March 2023.
Bojan also played for Spain's youth national teams. He won the European Championships with the Under-17 team in 2007 and the Under-21 team in 2011. He played one game for the senior Spanish team in 2008. He also played for the Catalan regional team eight times.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Young at Barcelona
Bojan was born in Linyola, Catalonia, Spain. His father, Bojan Krkić Sr., was a professional footballer from Serbia. His mother, Maria Lluïsa Pérez, is Catalan. Bojan joined Barcelona's youth teams, called La Masia, in 1999 when he was just eight years old.
He was known as a fast striker with great dribbling skills. It's said he scored over 900 goals for Barcelona's youth teams. This broke Lionel Messi's record for goals scored at that level. He played for the Barcelona B team in the 2006–07 season. When he turned 17, he signed a professional contract with the first team. Bojan played his first match for Barcelona in a friendly game on April 24, 2007. He even scored a goal in that game!
Making History at Barcelona
On September 16, 2007, Bojan made his official debut for Barcelona. He was only 17 years and 19 days old. He played against Osasuna and became the youngest Barcelona player to play in a La Liga match. Just three days later, he played in the UEFA Champions League. He was the youngest Barcelona player to ever play in a Champions League game at that time.
On October 20, 2007, Bojan started his first league game for Barcelona. He scored a goal, making him the youngest goalscorer for Barcelona in a league match. On April 1, 2008, he scored his first Champions League goal. He was 17 years and 217 days old. This made him the first player born in the 1990s to score in the Champions League. He also became the youngest player to score in the knockout stage of the competition. Bojan finished his first season with ten goals, breaking another record for goals scored in a debut season.
Winning Trophies
Bojan helped Barcelona win many titles. In the 2008–09 season, he helped Barcelona win their 19th La Liga title. He also helped them win the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) for the first time in 11 years. He scored five goals in that competition, including one in the final. Barcelona also won the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final that season. This meant they won a "treble" – three major trophies in one season!
In the 2009–10 season, Bojan continued to score important goals. He scored twice in the Copa del Rey, helping his team to a 5–0 victory. He also scored his only Champions League goal of the season against VfB Stuttgart. He scored more often towards the end of the season.
For the 2010–11 season, Bojan took the number 9 shirt. He captained Barcelona for the first time in an official match in the Copa del Rey. He scored goals in big wins, including an 8–0 victory and a famous 5–0 win against Real Madrid. He also scored in his 100th league appearance for Barcelona.
Adventures in Italy
On July 22, 2011, Bojan moved to the Italian club Roma. He scored his first goal for Roma on October 1, 2011. He played 33 league games for Roma in his first season, scoring seven goals.
Then, on August 29, 2012, Bojan joined AC Milan on a loan. He made his debut for Milan on September 1. He scored his first goal for Milan on November 3, 2012, in a big 5–1 win. After this season, Bojan returned to Barcelona.
Back to Barcelona and Loan to Ajax
After his time in Italy, Bojan returned to Barcelona. He wanted to play more regularly. On July 6, 2013, he joined the Dutch club Ajax on a one-year loan. He was influenced by talks with football legend Johan Cruyff to join Ajax.
Bojan made his debut for Ajax in a friendly match on July 13, 2013. He scored his first goal for Ajax in another friendly game on July 19. On July 27, 2013, Bojan won his first trophy with Ajax, the Johan Cruyff Shield. He helped Ajax win their 33rd Eredivisie title. After scoring four goals in 24 league matches, Bojan returned to Barcelona.
Time in England with Stoke City
On July 22, 2014, Bojan signed a four-year contract with the English team Stoke City. He scored his first goal for Stoke in a friendly game. He made his league debut on August 16.
On November 9, he scored his first Stoke goal in a 2–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur. He scored again in a 3–2 win over Arsenal. On December 26, he scored a penalty kick, which was the only goal in the game. Bojan scored his fifth goal of the season in an FA Cup match in January 2015. However, he got a knee injury in that game and missed the rest of the season.
Bojan returned from injury in July 2015. He signed a new contract with Stoke in February 2016. He played 31 games for Stoke in the 2015–16 season, scoring seven goals. Stoke finished in ninth place that season.
Loans to Mainz and Alavés
In January 2017, Bojan joined the German team Mainz 05 on loan. He scored his first goal for Mainz in a 2–2 draw against Bayern Munich. This made him one of only seven players to score in the top four leagues in Europe. Bojan helped Mainz stay in the Bundesliga.
On August 31, 2017, Bojan joined the Spanish team Alavés on a season-long loan. He played 15 games for Alavés.
Final Season at Stoke
Bojan stayed with Stoke for the 2018–19 season. He was a favorite among fans, but he struggled to play regularly. He left Stoke by agreement on August 6, 2019.
Playing in North America and Japan
On August 7, 2019, Bojan joined the Major League Soccer team Montreal Impact in Canada. He made his debut four days later. On August 25, he scored his first goal for the team with a shot from far away. He played 25 games for Montreal, scoring 7 goals.
In August 2021, Bojan joined the Japanese club Vissel Kobe. He made his debut on September 5, coming on for his former Barcelona teammate Andrés Iniesta. On October 2, he scored his first goal for Vissel Kobe. He played 20 games for the club, scoring 1 goal.
Retirement
Bojan officially retired from football at the age of 32. He announced his retirement at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on March 23, 2023.
International Career
Youth Teams for Spain
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Bojan became well-known as a 15-year-old at the 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship in 2006. He was the joint top-scorer, even though he was younger than most players. He scored a hat-trick (three goals) against Luxembourg.
In the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, Bojan led Spain to victory. He scored the only goal against England in the final. He also scored in the semi-final.
Bojan also played in the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea. He scored five goals and helped Spain reach the final. However, he was suspended for the final and Spain lost. Because of his great performances, Bojan won the Adidas Bronze Ball award. This named him the third best player in the tournament.
Bojan also played for the Spanish under-21s. He scored in their 2–0 win over Poland in 2007. He was part of the team that won the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
Playing for the Senior Spanish Team
Bojan was asked to play for the Serbian national team in 2008, but he wanted to play for Spain. He was chosen for a friendly game against France in February 2008. If he had played, he would have been the youngest player ever to represent Spain. However, he felt unwell and could not play.
Bojan later shared that he missed his international debut and the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament because he was dealing with anxiety. He made his full Spanish debut on September 10, 2008. He was 18 years and 13 days old. He played for the last ten minutes against Armenia. This was his only game for the senior Spanish team.
Playing for Catalonia
Bojan also played for the Catalonia regional team. He made his debut on December 29, 2007, and scored a goal. He scored again in 2008 against Colombia and in 2009 against Argentina. On March 25, 2019, Bojan scored the first goal in a 2–1 friendly win over Venezuela.
Life After Football
On September 13, 2023, Bojan became a football coordinator at his old club, Barcelona. His main job is to keep an eye on the young players at La Masia, their youth academy.
Personal Life
Did you know that Bojan is a distant cousin of his former teammate Lionel Messi? A study in 2011 found that they are both great-great-great-grandchildren of the same couple who married in 1846.
In 2021, Bojan earned a master's degree in Sport Management.
Honours
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11
- Copa del Rey: 2008–09
- Supercopa de España: 2009, 2010
- UEFA Champions League: 2008–09, 2010–11
- UEFA Super Cup: 2009
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2009
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 2013–14
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2013
Montreal Impact
- Canadian Championship: 2019
Spain U17
- UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship: 2007
Spain U21
Individual Awards
- UEFA U-17 Championship Golden Player: 2007
- UEFA U-17 Championship Top Scorer: 2006
- FIFA U-17 World Cup Bronze Ball: 2007
- FIFA U-17 World Cup Bronze Shoe: 2007
- La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2007–08
Images for kids
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Bojan (right) in training in February 2010, with Jeffrén and Eric Abidal.
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Bojan at Bydgoszcz Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport, a few days before the U21 match between Spain and Poland.
See also
In Spanish: Bojan Krkić para niños
