Bojan Krkić facts for kids
Bojan with Roma in 2012
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bojan Krkić Pérez | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 28 August 1990 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Linyola, Spain | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Spain U17 | 20 | (16) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Spain U21 | 21 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2019 | Catalonia | 8 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Spain | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Bojan Krkić Pérez (born 28 August 1990), often called just Bojan, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a forward or winger.
Bojan started his career at Barcelona. He joined their youth teams at La Masia, which is a famous football academy. He made his first-team debut when he was only 17 years and 19 days old. This broke a record previously held by Lionel Messi. In his first season, he scored 12 goals in 48 matches.
He played four seasons at Camp Nou, Barcelona's stadium, scoring 41 goals in 162 games. In July 2011, he moved to the Italian team AS Roma. He scored seven goals there in 37 games. Then, he played on loan for AC Milan for the 2012–13 season, scoring three goals in 27 matches.
After his time in Italy, Barcelona bought him back. He then went on loan to the Dutch club Ajax for the 2013–14 season, helping them win the Eredivisie title. In July 2014, Bojan joined the English club Stoke City. Later, he played for Mainz 05 in Germany and Alavés in Spain on loan.
He then played in North America for Montreal Impact and finally in Japan for Vissel Kobe. Bojan retired from professional football in March 2023.
As a youth player for Spain, he won European Championships with the Under-17 team in 2007 and the Under-21 team in 2011. He also played one game for the senior Spanish team in 2008. He also represented the Catalan regional team eight times.
Contents
- Bojan's Football Journey
- International Football Career
- Life After Football
- Personal Life
- Honours and Achievements
- Images for kids
- See also
Bojan's Football Journey
Starting Out in Football
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, known as La Masia, when he was just eight years old in 1999.
He was a very fast striker with great dribbling skills. People said he scored over 900 goals for Barcelona's youth teams! This was even more than Lionel Messi had scored at that age. He played for Barcelona's 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 on 24 April 2007. It was a friendly game against an Egyptian club, Al Ahly, and he scored a goal.
Playing for Barcelona's Main Team
Making His Debut and Breaking Records
On 16 September 2007, Bojan made his official debut for Barcelona. He was 17 years and 19 days old. He came on as a substitute against Osasuna, replacing Giovani dos Santos. This made him the youngest Barcelona player to ever play in a La Liga match, breaking Lionel Messi's record.
Just three days later, he played his first UEFA Champions League game against Lyon. He was 17 years and 22 days old, making him the youngest Barcelona player to appear in a Champions League game at that time. On 20 October 2007, Bojan started his first league game for Barcelona against Villarreal. He scored his first goal for the club's first team, becoming the youngest goalscorer for Barcelona in a league match.
Bojan scored his first Champions League goal on 1 April 2008 against Schalke 04. He scored the only goal in that game. This made him the first player born in the 1990s to score in the Champions League. He was also the youngest player to score in the knockout stage of the competition. Bojan ended his first season with ten goals, which broke Raúl's record for most goals in a debut season.
Winning Trophies with Barcelona
For the 2008–09 season, Bojan was given the number 11 shirt. He helped Barcelona win their 19th La Liga title. He also helped them win their first Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) in 11 years, scoring five goals in that competition. This included a goal in the final against Athletic Bilbao. Bojan was a substitute in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final against Manchester United. Barcelona won that game 2–0, completing a treble (winning three major trophies in one season).
In the 2009–10 season, Bojan scored a header in the first game against Atlético Madrid, which Barcelona won 3–0. He scored more goals towards the end of the season. Seven of his eight league goals came from the last 12 games.
For the 2010–11 season, Bojan took the number 9 shirt. He captained Barcelona for the first time in an official match against Ceuta in the Copa del Rey. He scored two goals in an 8–0 win against Almería. He also helped set up a goal in the famous 5–0 win against Real Madrid in El Clásico. He scored a very important goal against Sevilla in a 1–1 draw. He also scored in his 100th league appearance for Barcelona against Getafe.
Moving to Italy: Roma and Milan
On 22 July 2011, the Italian club Roma bought Bojan for €12 million. He played his first unofficial game for Roma on 3 August 2011. He scored his first goal for Roma against Atalanta on 1 October 2011. He played 33 league games for Roma in his first season, scoring seven goals.
Loan to AC Milan
On 29 August 2012, Bojan joined AC Milan on a loan for one season. He made his debut for Milan on 1 September. He scored his first goal for Milan against Chievo on 3 November 2012. He played 19 league games for Milan and scored three goals.
Back to Barcelona and Loan to Ajax
After the 2012–13 season, Bojan returned to Barcelona. He wanted to play more regularly. On 6 July 2013, he joined the Dutch club Ajax on a one-year loan. He said that talking to football legend Johan Cruyff helped him decide to move to Ajax.
Bojan made his debut for Ajax on 13 July 2013 in a friendly game. He scored his first goal for Ajax in another friendly against Werder Bremen on 19 July 2013. On 27 July 2013, Bojan won his first trophy with Ajax, the Johan Cruyff Shield (Dutch Super Cup). He scored his first regular season goal for Ajax on 1 December 2013. He helped Ajax win their 33rd Eredivisie title. He scored four goals in 24 league matches for Ajax.
Playing in England with Stoke City
Joining Stoke City
On 22 July 2014, Bojan signed a four-year contract with the Premier League team Stoke City. The manager, Mark Hughes, was very excited about him joining.
Bojan scored his first goal for Stoke in a friendly game against Schalke 04. He made his league debut on 16 August. On 9 November, he scored his first Stoke goal in a 2–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur. He scored again on 6 December 2014 in a 3–2 win over Arsenal. On 26 December, he scored a penalty against Everton, which was the only goal of the game. Bojan scored in a 1–0 victory against Leicester City on 17 January 2015. Nine days later, he scored his fifth goal of the season in an FA Cup game. However, he got a knee injury in that match and could not play for the rest of the season.
Returning from Injury
Bojan returned from his injury in July 2015. He scored in a 2–2 draw against Leicester City on 19 September 2015. In February 2016, he signed a new contract with Stoke until 2020. He played 31 times for Stoke in the 2015–16 season, scoring seven goals. Stoke finished in ninth place that season.
In the 2016–17 season, Bojan did not play as much. He started only five league matches in six months. In January 2017, he said he was ready to leave Stoke to play more regularly.
Loans to Mainz and Alavés
On 29 January 2017, Bojan joined the German team Mainz 05 on loan. Mainz was struggling in the league. 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 four top leagues in Europe. Bojan helped Mainz stay in the Bundesliga.
On 31 August 2017, Bojan joined the Spanish team Alavés on a season-long loan. He played 15 times for Alavés.
Back to Stoke and Departure
Bojan stayed with Stoke for the 2018–19 season, which was in the second tier of English football. He was a favorite among fans but struggled to impress the manager. He played 23 times in 2018–19. He left Stoke by agreement on 6 August 2019.
Playing in North America and Japan
Montreal Impact
On 7 August 2019, Bojan joined the Major League Soccer team Montreal Impact in Canada. He made his debut four days later. On 25 August, he scored his first goal for Montreal with a long shot. He played 25 games for Montreal Impact and scored 7 goals.
Vissel Kobe
In August 2021, Bojan joined the Japanese club Vissel Kobe. He made his debut on 5 September, coming on for his former Barcelona teammate Andrés Iniesta. On 2 October, he scored his first goal for Vissel Kobe. He played 20 games for Vissel Kobe and scored 1 goal. He left the club in January 2023.
Retirement from Football
Bojan officially retired from playing football at the age of 32. He announced his retirement at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on 23 March 2023.
International Football Career
Playing for Spain's Youth Teams
Bojan became well-known at the 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship in Luxembourg. He was the joint top-scorer, even though he was a year younger than most players. He scored three goals against Luxembourg and helped his team win against Russia. In the 2007 European Under-17 Football Championship, Bojan led Spain to victory, scoring the only goal against England in the final.
.jpg)
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 was named the third best player in the tournament.
Bojan scored for the Spanish under-21s in their 2–0 win over Poland in 2007. He was also part of the Spain U-21 squad that won the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
Playing for Spain's Senior Team
Bojan was asked to play for the Serbian national team in 2008, but he wanted to play for Spain. He was chosen for the Spanish squad 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, Bojan felt unwell and could not play.
He was also left out of Spain's squad for UEFA Euro 2008 because he asked to be left out for personal reasons and due to feeling tired. He made his full Spanish debut on 10 September 2008. He was 18 years and 13 days old. He came on as a substitute against Armenia for his only senior game for Spain.
Playing for Catalonia
Bojan also played for the Catalonia regional team. He made his debut in a friendly match against the Basque Country in December 2007, scoring a goal in a 1–1 draw. He scored again in wins against Colombia and Argentina. On 25 March 2019, Bojan scored the first goal in a 2–1 friendly win over Venezuela.
Life After Football
On 13 September 2023, Bojan became a football coordinator at his former club Barcelona. His main job is to help and keep an eye on the young players at La Masia, the club's youth academy.
Personal Life
Bojan's father, Bojan Krkić Sr., was a professional footballer in Yugoslavia and later a scout for FC Barcelona. Bojan could have played football for Serbia because of his father.
It was discovered in 2011 that Bojan is a distant cousin of his former teammate Lionel Messi. They share common ancestors from the 1800s.
In 2021, Bojan earned a master's degree in Sport Management.
Honours and Achievements
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 U-17 European 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
-
Bojan (right) in training in February 2010, with Jeffrén and Eric Abidal
See also
In Spanish: Bojan Krkić para niños
