Bojan: "I don't regret missing the Euro"

Barcelona player Bojan Krkic gave an interview to Spanish newspaper El País.





The sensation that was generated last season was that your life was
going at 3 000 kilometres per hour.
Yes, everything happened very fast. My life changed radically. Thousand things happened to me.

That 's the biggest difference compared with this year?
Yes, things have calmed down, the rhythm is good, not so fast.

You've played half of the games you played last year. Any regrets?
It's what it is, I'm not complaining. Maybe what is happening now is more normal than what happened last seaon. The situations is different. Last season the coach made a lot of offensive substitutions because we needed to win or overcome. This year, when we reach the last twenty minutes, we're winning and other things are required.

Do you feel more comfortable?
Do not ask a player who played little if he feels comfortable, last year I felt very comfortable because I played.

But you had a greater responsibility to score?
If I had, I wasn't aware of that. I just played, things turned out well for me and that's it. This year is different. The team is doing very well and now my phase of learning is on another level. But as I was learning last year, I still continue learning, but in other ways.

You have been compared with Raúl. What do you think about that?
It depends on whether you believe in it or not. Hopefully one day I can be so proud of my career like Raul can be but I'm not dreaming of repeating his successes because that is impossible. I am Bojan not Raúl, and that has always been clear to me. So I fill myself with pride when someone says that, but nothing more.

Do you regret having given up playing in the European Championship?
No, it was a perfect for me to end the season. I'll never regret it. I needed it and I'm perfect now. At that time I didn't have the strength anymore to go to a European Championship, with all the work that it entails and everything you must give. I said that, the coach understood it and that's it. Basically everything is more normal than it seems.

You felt a lot of pressure in Malaga, where you made your debut against Italy?
It had nothing to do with pressure. There is no pressure when you play, it's only there before and after a game. Pressure didn't affect my game at all. I came out, I played... But I started the season at 16 years of age and there are things that affect a boy of 16.

Not all the kids of 16 years are the same...
Clearly, but I speak of me. I went from playing with people of my age to changing my clothes next to Ronaldinho. One day I could walk calmly along the street and a week later I couldn't do that anymore. It's not easy. I went from being anonymous to playing at Barça. I could not go anymore to any birthday parties, to the
movies or to a restaurant with friends because I was a Barça player and everyone knew me. I wasn't one of the guys anymore... It was not a gradual move, it was there, boom! All of a sudden it happened, while the team was going though a hard time. The players and coaches helped me a lot. I have also changed, I have learned and now there are other people around players who are closer to my age, like Piqué, Busquets, Victor, Pedrito. That also helps.

The fans care for you. Does that help?
Yes, people like me a lot. But last year was incredible, now they like me the same but the big boom is over, everything is more natural and I'm going through a learning process.

This is what Guardiola wants?
Yes, although I don’t play that much. But I will play. And although that's not the most importante thing for a Barça striker, I wills core goals.

That's not the most important thing?
No, a striker at Barca needs to do more than just scoring.

Do you have difficulties playing away from the area?
No, with the national team I have already played games as second striker and there I also had to move to the wings.

Translated by: Riis


Read more:
Bojan not considering to leave on loan
The alphabet of Bojan
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The alphabet of Bojan (part 2)

Barcelona player Bojan Krkic gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





Masia
Where I have spent a ;ot of time during my childhood. My home, together with the Camp Nou. I have lived great moments there and I have grown as a person. I only have good memories of La Masia.

Navidad (Christmas)
For me it is the best time of year. I love Christmas, meeting with the family, being together. Although I also try to do that during the year, Christmas is always special.

Obsesión (Obsession)
I only have one in my life: to win titles and to do it at Barca. I really want to win my first trophy with this team.

Piqué
He is an extraordinary person with whom I'm lucky to be able to share the same crest. He is a phenomenon as a player and as person

Quiosco (prensa) (Kiosk (press))
Something necessary in the world of football. The press does its job like we do ours. We're trying to live together.

Recreativo Huelva
I could feel how it is to score at the Nou Camp. It was my first goal in the stadium and it was something very special

Salvador Pérez
I could say many things about "meu padrí" (his grandfather who lives in Lleida).

Tatuajes (Tattoos)
I like them, but I prefer not to have any. I've never considered it and I think I'm fine like this.

Universidad (University)
I want to study at INEF (the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences}. I think it's good to continue studies despite playing at Barca. It's something that my parents have always emphasized.

Vestuario (Dressing-room)
There's a great atmosphere in the dressing-room this season and I think that's one of the keys to everything functioning and going so well this season.

Wisla Crackovia (Wisla Cracow)
It was the first step toward winning the third Champions League. I hope they will become a historical team for our club that way.

Xenofobia (Xenophobia)
I am totally against racist attitudes. I don't understand it and I don't agree with it.

Yo (I)
I think I am a humble person, happy inside and outside the field... And also a goalscorer.

Zambudio (Gerard, de la cantera) (Gerard Zambudio, youth academy player)
The youth players should be the future of the club. We are many in the first team now and I think it is very positive for everyone that it's like this.

Translated by: Riis


This was the second part of this interview. You can read the first part here.

The alphabet of Bojan (part 1)

Barcelona player Bojan Krkic gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





Al-Ahly
I have good memories of that game. It was my first team debut with Barcelona, which I had been dreaming for many years. And I managed to score, so it was perfect.

Barça
It's my life, the club of my life. Barça is the club which I have always wanted to play for. I am culé since childhood and I am where I want to be. Playing here is a dream come true

Camp Nou
If Barca is my life, the Camp Nou is my home. I feel very comfortable. I have seen many matches as fan and now I can enjoy them from the pitch. I am very proud to play at a scene so special.

Dream Team
It's a team to dream about! When they were triumphing I was very young (he was born on 28 August 1990), but even so I still have some memories because they been one of the biggest teams in the history of Barca

España (Spain)
My national team, the one I chose to play for and with which I hope to achieve many successes.

Fama (Fame)
It is complicated because it comes overnight. We must learn to manage it. It has its good things and bad things, although, as always, you get used to everything.

Gol (Goal)
The goal is an image of beauty, a gift to a job well done, a feeling of indescribable joy.

Humildad (Humility)
Something that, as a footballer and in any circumstance of life, we must always have. Only humility can lead us to continue to grow as a person and a footballer.

Infancia (Childhood)
I have been fortunate to have a unique childhood. I enjoyed these years a lot, both at home in Linyola and as a part of Barça's youth teams.

Juventud (Youth)
At this moment, I cannot enjoy my teenage years a lot. Although, despite that, I do not complain about anything. I am privileged and I'm still very young anyway.

Kluivert
He's one of my childhood idols. He's a player I always have appreciated a lot, especially when he played at Barca. I set it to improve as a forward like him. He had a great quality. His era was great.

Linyola
It is my village, the place where I feel best. When I have free time, I always want to be be in Linyola because I find tranquility there.

Llorar (To cry)
If I have to cry, I can hope it will only be of happiness. Crying because you have won a big trophy is something nice.

Translated by: Riis


This was the first part of this interview. You will be able to read the second part on this blog in the coming days.

Read more:
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Bojan: "I'm not planning to give up studying"
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Bojan: "A striker needs to score"

Barcelona player Bojan Krkic gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





What does scoring mean to you?
A goal is a reward for the work you are doing during a game. It's a gift that gives you an big satisfaction. It's something beautiful.

What do you feel when you score?
Those feelings are inexplicable. It's a moment of joy, an enormous satisfaction. You can't think about anything else. I don't know, the truth is that it's very difficult to describe it with words. You have incredible sensations.

You get depressed when you don't score for a while?
It's true that, besides playing well, a striker also needs to score. Even when I was little and the pressure was less, when I played well but didn't score I returned home unhappy because the ball didn't go in. But now it's different. You know that if you play well, if you're doing your job, that goal will come sooner or later. But as a forward you live from goals and the day that you don't score, there's something missing.

Which important goals do you remember?
A lot, especially those with the youth teams. I scored a lot of goals and I remember a lot of them. More recently, there was the goal in Egypt when I made my debut with the first team, my first goal in the Champions League in Gelsenkirchen against Schalke 04... The first one int he Camp Nou, against Recreativo. A lot.

What would be your dream goal?
I don't know, I hope to score some decisive goal... I would like to experience how it feels to score in a final.

You think about how you will celebrate your goals?
I've always celebrated goals in a very simple way. This year I touch my heart and I hit the logo of the club. I do it as a sign of gratefulness towards Barcelona, because of everything I feel for the club.


Read more:
Barcelona rejects loaning Bojan to RS Belgrade
Bojan: "I'm not planning to give up studying"
Ajax wants to buy Bojan in january

Bojan: "There's still a lot left to learn"

Barcelona player Bojan Krkic gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





Your teammates keep on saying that, when seeing you, they want to protect you. What do you think about that?
I don't think they're saying it because they see me as helpless, I suppose it's because I'm the youngest member of the squad, maybe therefore it seems that I need to be protected. But there are also a lot of moments where they protect each other. It's just something people observe from the outside, within the dressingroom we're all equal.

Pep Guardiola has also insisted that he wanted to protect you, but he's doing that by not giving you a lot of minutes...
One day he also was a young player so he has experience with this kind of situations, I suppose he wants to get it through to me.

In the game against Valencia, Samuel Eto'o directly ran to the bench to celebrate his goal with you. Keita also ran towards the substitutes against Villarreal. Is there some order to do that?
No, it was coincidence. Against Valencia I was the first to get off the bench and he came running our way and we hugged. Since the goal is far away from the bench, it's not usual we celebrate like this.

You're 18 years old, you have a good contract, your future is looking bright... What do you worry about right now?
I'm not worrying about any sporting issue. The team is doing great and the only thing I should do is continue to grow, as a player and as a person. There's still a lot left to learn, which is normal since I'm only 18 years old.

In what way do you resemble a normal 18 years old boy?
When I'm not training or playing, I lead a normal life. I try to disconnect from the world of football and hang out with my friends. I still go to school. I can't study a lot but I watch out not to lose the rhythm bacause I would like to study sport sciences next year. Besides that, I go out with friends, we're gonna drink something, watch a movie... I sure don't have afternoons off because I'm at school or training or playing a game.

Isn't it annoying to do normal things knowing that everybody will recognize you?
You have to get used to that kind of life. I would also like to change some things, but it's not possible and you have to accept it. If I'm lucky and I can keep on growing as a player, it will always be like this and the sooner I adapt to that life, the better.

You have some tricks to not getting recognized?
In the beginning I put on a cap, but you soon become aware that people recognize you anyhow, so the best thing is to behavve normally. Until now, people have respected me. I only remember one meeting with a group of boys, who went a bit wild and made me feel a little uncomfortable. I guess people sometimes get a little mad when they see us because that could be the one time they are seeing their idol. But most of us feel like a normal person, so you can get somewhat uncomfortable.

You've become more paranoid since you became famous?
The truth is that I'm getting aware that maybe there are people who never greeted me and who are now behaving totally different. But it has always been clear to me that there are very little people who really like me and vice versa. I nonetheless respect all people I get to know. My parents are greatly responsible for that.

You have some advice to survive at Barça?
Yes, you have to have a lot of patience because it's very difficult and everything can easily slip away.


This was the second and last part of this interview, you can read the first part here:
Bojan: "I want to keep on growing here"

Read more:
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Bojan: "I'm waiting for my moment"

Bojan: "I want to keep on growing here"

Barcelona player Bojan Krkic gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





Over the last months, it was inevitable that people started comparing with last season...
I only think about this season being a new one. What happened before, if it was good or bad, is already history. There are still many games left and that means there will be plenty of chances I can grab.

From your first team debut on, you have always been in the eye of the storm. How does a person of your age deals with people judging you without knowing you?
I'm aware that this is part of the job. What I cannot let happen is being influenced by the opinion of the people. Everybody has the right to express an opinion, I respect that, but that doesn't mean I agree with it. It's important to be sure of who you are and what you want. I won't deny that in the beginning it's not always easy to understand it, but at a certain point you just have to get used to it.

For good or worse, you have become one of the most popular players of the squad...
That's not always easy, but when you adapt to it, there shouldn't be a problem. I have always been supported by the fans and that's very important.

What is the role of the well-known Barcelona entourage in the success or the failure of a player at Barça?
They have a very important role, because the public opinion is always decisive. I don't think they are against us, but you have to take into account that fooball is not only about focusing on the bad things.

How do you look at yourself after everything that has happened this year?
Although I'm only 18 years old, I think I have a clear head and step-by-step I'm growing as a player and as a person. I think I matured a lot over the last months. Last year helped me to grow, but I still had to learn a lot of things about the dressingroom.

The centre forward position is a key position but there's a lot of competition. Given that this spot has always been occupied by a foreign star player at Barça, you have the feeling that you're fighting against the rest of the world to get that spot?
I only fight against myself, trying to continue to get better and get everything needed to play there. In the squad there are several examples, like Puyol, Iniesta or Messi, all of who played with the youth teams and are now being regulars with the first team.

What can you achieve in the world of football?
That's difficult to say, because in football you never know. The important thing is to be prepared for everything that could happen.

One of your best friends, Gerard Piqué, left abroad to grow in the shadow. Aren't you considering to follow his example?
No, at this moment it's clear to me that I want to keep on growing here.

Now the year comes to an end, it's a moment to look back. Have you regretted not taking part in the European championship?
No, not at all. At that time, the situation I was in was very clear and I needed to rest.

This was the first part of this interview, you can read the second part here in the coming days with Bojan talking -among other things- about his position in the squad and how he deals with the fame.

Read more:
Ajax wants to buy Bojan in january
Bojan: "I'm not planning to give up studying"
Bojan not considering to leave on loan