A Name to Remember: Bojan Krkic

It might have been a meaningless goal in a meaningless exhibition but it was enough to alert us all to the latest in the long line of next great things. His name is Bojan Krkic and he scored for Barcelona in their 4-0 win over Egypt’s Al-Alhy in an exhibition match earlier this week. When our Barcelona blog says he a player is good and Reuters calls the same player the new Leo Messi, well then he can’t possibly be anything but the future.

Who is Bojan Krkic? He is a 16-year-old Serbo-Spanish striker who joined Barcelona’s youth team in 1999 and proceeded to score 889 goals in seven years if you are to believe the reports. That number is impressive enough, but the hype really began when he chose to play for Spain’s U17 team at the European Championships in 2006 and he ended up being the joint top-scorer despite being used as a reserve player.

Krkic, who is sometimes called Bojan Krkic-Perez by the Spanish media, comes from a family with a football backing. His father, also named Bojan, played for Belgrade Red Star in the 1980s before leaving for Spain where his son was born and where he took a gig as a scout for Barcelona.

Krkic is said to have excellent ball skills, great speed and a knack for finishing. Whether or not he turns out to be the next great Barcelona striker remains to be seen, but he certainly is a player worth keeping an eye on. Below is a video of him playing for Barcelona’s B team. I didn’t quite feel right about showing him when he was barely old enough to walk.

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Category: Spain La Liga, World Football