Ten things on new Mainz star Bojan Krkic
1. FSV Mainz 05 pulled off one of the transfer coups of the month in signing prodigiously gifted Spanish forward Bojan Krkic on loan from Stoke City FC until the end of the season.
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bundesliga.com brings you all you need to know about the former FC Barcelona teen sensation...
1) Move over Messi
Following a rapid rise through Barcelona's youth ranks, Bojan signed professional terms with the club on his 17th birthday in 2007, and soon went about making history for the Catalan club in his debut season. After breaking Lionel Messi's record as the youngest Barca player to feature in a La Liga match - aged 17 years and 19 days – he also became the club’s youngest league goalscorer a month later. In April that season he became the first player born in the 1990s to score in the UEFA Champions League, too. He ended his debut campaign with 12 goals in 48 appearances - stunning numbers for a teenager.
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3) Two views of Guardiola
After featuring sparingly in his final two seasons at Barca between 2009 and 2011, Bojan decided to leave the club and later revealed that he did not say goodbye to coach Pep Guardiola when departing Catalonia. "As a fan," Krkic said, “Guardiola is the best coach in the world, but personal things have happened to me [that] were hurtful. He was not fair with me on several occasions, and this is one of the reasons that I decided to leave.”
6) Big boots, twinkle toes
Bojan is a diminutive 1m70 tall. His low centre of gravity makes him difficult to knock off the ball, and his quick control and turn of pace mean he is comfortable operating out wide or through the middle in the final third. More of a centre-forward in his younger days, Bojan has invariably been used in attacking midfield in recent years, from where he has still managed 14 goals in 54 games for Stoke. Mainz lost their joint-record Bundesliga scorer Yunus Malli to VfL Wolfsburg in the winter transfer window, but in Bojan, they may just have found a maker and taker who can pick up the mantle.
Watch: Krkic discusses his move to the Bundesliga with Mainz:
7) International options
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Born in the municipality of Linyola 90 miles west of Barcelona to a Serbian father and a Spanish mother, Bojan Krkic Perez – to give him his full name – opted to represent Spain in 2008. Serbia had tried to poach him that year, but to no avail. "I am honoured that I was called by [Serbia coach] Radomir Antic to play for Serbia," said the then-18-year-old. "However I am Spaniard and will play only for Spain." Bojan’s wish came true that September, when he came on for Arsenal FC’s Santi Cazorla in a 4-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Armenia. It remains his only senior cap, though he has scored for Catalunya in friendly matches against Argentina and Colombia without FIFA jurisdiction since.
9) Social media whizz
Fans of Bojan will be delighted to learn they can stay in touch with the Mainz man and keep track of his day-to-day activities with just the touch of a button. A regular on the social media scene, Bojan has close to a million followers on Twitter, as well as a further 373k on Instagram. He also has a popular Facebook page, where he posts everything from arty match snaps to light-hearted selfies and recordings.
10) Recipe for success
Away from the pitch Bojan is an avid baker, and won Stoke’s in-house “Best Baker” competition in late 2015. The contest was judged by British Bake-Off judge Paul Hollywood, and Bojan’s triple-layer, strawberry-and-cream sponge confection entry saw him win the title ahead of teammates Muniesa and Joselu, Don’t expect him to eat his confectionary creations, though: the svelte Bojan has a dairy-free diet which only has room for wholewheat rice and pasta and organic meat!