Bojan: 10 years at Barça

Bojan: 10 years at Barça
Ten years ago Bojan Krkic started out in the Barça academy. After having reached the first team, the player says he’d like to be there for another decade.He says there have been “magic moments” over his 10 years at Barcelona, and last season’s treble is undoubtedly one of them. Bojan Krkic, who ever since he began in the academy has felt a special chemistry between him and the club, spoke to Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat about the last ten years. What do these ten years at Barça mean? “Truth be told I count them at the start of each season and I’m more and more happy to be at the club. I’m proud I’ve been here ten seasons. I’ve had some magic moments, I’ve learnt a lot about football and as a person. It’s been my second home so I owe it a lot and hope to be here for another ten years.” You’ve been here 10 years and you say you’d like another 10. Would you like to spend your entire career here? “Yeah, I’d hope I can do what Xavi and Puyol have done, what Andrés, Leo and Víctor are doing, and Jorquera as well... home-grown players who are in the first team where they’ve been for a long time and become Barça legends. I’d love to do that and will fight hard to become part of Barça’s history.” Can you remember what happened before you signed for Barça? “I remember my Dad said to me: “Bojan, you’ve got offers from Lleida, Atlètic Segre, Pardinyes and Barça”. And I was on the sofa at home with my parents and I was only 9 and they had to talk about it. Plus we had to go and do a trial because at that time there were no under-10s, the Football School made its choice and there were 200 of us and in the end they picked 20. I was really happy. At first I missed classes because I was travelling a lot but I never thought about turning back.” Who was your first coach? And what were your first weeks like at Barça? “My first coach was Fèlix, in the Under-10s, at the Football School Josep Maria Bou, I think. I remember I started to score goals and the coaches gave me game time. I was really happy and right from the word go I found a special chemistry between Barça and me.” Perhaps under-14s A was the first year things started to get a bit more competitive. “Yeah, though it was too in under-12s A when we played the Brunete Trophy. I was made best player and top goal scorer which in some way confirmed I was on the right track and that I had the ability as well as the enthusiasm to play for Barça. From then on in under-14s and under-16s I got better and I always had a good time.” Have there been any special coaches or teammates in all this time? “I think I have been really well-treated especially by my teammates, who I’ll always have with me. We were virtually brothers and I learnt a lot from them. As a coach I had Sergio Lobera for three years who was also someone I looked up to. He motivated me a lot and taught me a lot. Then there was Rodo (Rodolfo Borrell) who was also a special coach and Joan Salvans... I could say all of them.” When you reach the first team does the academy experience help? “Yes. I know all about Catalan and Barça culture. I’ve learnt about the start of Barça from when I was in the under-10s. That’s an advantage. The academy will always produce good players. I’ve been at the club for 10 years so when we won the treble it meant more. It’s not just winning three competitions but for me it’s a personal feeling in a club like Barça which is part of my life.” And that treble? “If you’d told me last year we’d win all three, I don’t know... The treble is our gift to all Barça fans. You have to give thanks to God for winning three titles at the age of just 18.” Do you have any advice for the kids just starting out in the Barça academy? What does an academy player need to have their dream come true? “Rather than talk to the kids I’d like to talk to the parents, because kids learn what they see and hear at home. All I can say is what I experienced at home: don’t get them to play football with the goal of reaching the First Division or something. When I was in the academy, I was never there to try to be a first team player, but rather to have a good time, learn things, to enjoy being there. And from then on time and life will put you where you should be; that’s when you can start to see which road to take. The most important thing is having a good time and enjoying playing football.”
Two goals for the album
There are a couple of goals we were hoping you could tell us about. The first was with the under-14s A team in the last League game away at Espanyol. “We were drawing and we just had to win. In the last minute we fired in a desperate centre and I headed it home. Get that – with my height! Then I was really short and so we were lucky enough to score and it was really exciting and satisfying: winning the League in the last game away at Espanyol. Those are times and experiences I’ll never forget.” And then the second at Badalona, also in the last game and also against Espanyol. It was in stoppage time... "Yeah, I’ve even got friends at Espanyol, one in particular called Guillem Savall, who wanted to kill me because he said they were already celebrating it. I was in the under-16s A that season and it was my second or third game with the under-18s. And it was the same old story: we had to win, we were drawing and then we scored. Again, scenes I’ll never forget.”