The
player mostly known as “Bojan” (because that’s what happens when you play at
Barca, you get reduced to one name) has almost everything stacked against him.
First of all, he’s ex-Barca. Second of all, he’s on loan from Roma. Third of
all, he looks like he should be in a boy band, not on a football pitch. And
most recently, he chose his jersey number based on his age. It can be hard to
take someone seriously with all of this going against him. But if you look
beyond the artificial-looking obvious details, there’s a little something more
to him than a boyish face and a history of playing for clubs I don’t like.
Maybe this loan deal is more than meets the eye.
 |
| Bojan came to Milan with big dreams amidst so much uncertainty |
For
one thing, Bojan comes from good stock. His father was a Serbian footballer who
played for Red Star Belgrade. That gives him a bit of street cred right there,
right? His mother is Spanish, which is why he was born in Catalonia in Spain
and why every once in a while you will see the “Pérez” tacked on to his name.
It also explains why he has represented the Spanish national teams at every age
level, as well as the Catalan regional team.
Bojan
seems most notable for breaking records. For example, he played his entire
youth career with Barcelona, where he supposedly scored over 500 goals. For the
2006-07 season he played with the Barcelona B team until he was old enough to
sign a professional contract. And once he did, the records started falling. His
first record was to break Lionel Messi’s record of the youngest player to
officially play for Barcelona at the age of 17 years, 19 days. Three days
later, he became the youngest Barca player to play in a Champions League match.
In October, he became the youngest ever goalscorer for Barcelona in a league
match. His most distinguished record set that year was a record of 10 goals in
his debut season, the record previously held by the great Raúl.
 |
| Breaking records at Barca |
He also
has the unusual distinction of following in the footsteps of would-be Milan
players. After Zambrotta left, he took the number 11 jersey. After Ibra left,
he took the number 9 jersey. So maybe, just maybe, he’s actually meant to be at
Milan, and his goalscoring ways are about to explode. Or maybe not. When was
the last time a Spanish footballer succeeded in Serie A?
From
2007 to 2011, Bojan scored 26 goals in 104 appearances, many of those
appearances coming off the bench. He had to compete for playing time with
Lionel Messi,, Pedro, and David Villa, so it was to his credit that he got
playing time. During the 2010-11 season, he even captained an official match.
 |
| Would not feature in Roma's plans this year |
It
was for the 2011-12 season that he was sold to Roma for €12 million plus a
Barcelona buyback clause and a €28 million Roma buyout clause. He made 33
appearances and scored 7 goals for the club, but was not going to feature in
the attack-minded Zeman’s plans, so was loaned to AC Milan for this season.
Thus
far, Bojan’s 4 appearances in official matches for Milan have been not
particularly memorable. Meaning he hasn’t scored any goals in official matches.
But if you watch carefully, he actually has a lot of quality. He handles the
ball well and has done more to set up plays than anyone else up front. I saw
someone describe him as the “glue” that was holding our offense together. And
let’s face it, when you have our infamous number 10 up front, it can’t be easy.
If he would just pass the ball back to Bojan here or there, maybe Bojan would actually be able to score a goal or two every once in a while.
 |
| Don't judge a book by its cover |
Bojan
is fairly fast, dribbles well, and also did well to score so much at Barcelona, especially with so much competition for playing time.
While everyone knows how different the style of play is in Serie A than La Liga, it’s hard
to be patient while a player like Bojan acclimates to a new style of play. (And
his time at Roma doesn’t count, because they’re… well, Roma.) It’s hard to know
if Allegri’s newer formations will suit him, too. The hail mary attempts at
Milan success have left many scratching their heads, and Bojan without much
playing time. Plus, Allegri’s apparent need for a “reference point” up front
leaves a better all-around player like Bojan on the bench.
Bojan
may be Barca born and raised, but he is no diver. Which gives him a lot of
credit in my eyes. He works hard, says all the right things, and is certainly
talented. And even if he looks like he should be in a boy band, he seems 100%
committed to giving Milan his all on the pitch. Personally, I think we are very
lucky to have acquired a player of his talent on loan this year. And I think
that if he is actually given some playing time, he will start scoring, and
often, too. With his contract having been re-negotiated to allow a Milan buyout
clause, I am hoping the Spanish player is
successful for us this season and really comes into his own. Even if he chose his
jersey number by his age, something my children used to do when they were
younger. Because if you can score goals, everything else is forgiven. A belated
Welcome to Milan, Bojan!
This post inspired by the music of
Fall Out Boy
Our next match is
Lazio vs. Milan
Saturday, October 20 • 20:45 CEST (2:45 EDT)