Bye Bye Bojan: Why I’m glad to see you leave FC Barcelona

Perhaps I will stir the wrath of die-hard Culés, maybe I already have but whatever the case might be – I simply do not care. As the headline already suggested, I am more than happy to see Bojan leave FC Barcelona. He just wasn’t good enough for the club. I had a long an interesting conversation with Jose about this matter, and we both came to the conclusion that Roma’s future no. 14 had more than enough chances to prove his worth. How can Bojan seriously complain about the fact that he has been overlooked not once but twice for the UEFA Champions League final? At 20 years of age he should’ve been happy to be even included in the squad, especially with this history-making side. I’m not particularly fond of young Bojan. To be honest I think he received preferential treatment all across the board, mostly because of his Catalan roots. But that’s just about it. Sure, at the end of the 2009/2010 season he showed glimpses of his talent when Pep Guardiola entrusted him with a run of games for the ineffectual Zlatan Ibrahamovic. Still, is that enough to warrant a starting position with FC Barcelona, or even demand to play in the UEFA Champions League final?

I don’t think so.

Out of all recent La Masia youngsters (except: Pedro and Sergio Busguets) who have been promoted to the first team since 2007, Bojan has received the most opportunities to make a name for himself, and he failed. Even this past 2010/2011 campaign he started some 15-odd games for FC Barcelona. That’s still more games than Thiago or Jonathan dos Santos started, combined. What do these two talented youngsters have in common – yeah, you have guessed it. They are not Catalan. Why else would FC Barcelona push for the singing of Cesc Fabregas? But back to the matter at hand, Bojan was never, I repeat, never good enough for FC Barcelona. And I doubt he will be in the future, 2013 to be precise. I hope he proves me wrong but I’m not convinced he’ll fare much better in Italy than Spain. He can’t even grab a game for the Spanish U21 – how can he complain about not playing in the Champions League final? Who was he supposed to unseat anyways? Pedro? David Villa? Lionel Messi? Just because he has been a member of the first team for four years doesn’t mean he’s good enough. If anything it’s an indication how clueless Pep Guardiola can be at times. After all, Gabriel Milito is still a first team member and we all know he definitely doesn’t warrant a place with FC Barcelona.

Playing with FC Barcelona is not a right but a privilege to be earned, and Bojan has had enough chances to claim a starting berth, more than others. Besides, what exactly did Bojan think when FC Barcelona bought David Villa? While I do think that confidence is an admirable quality, Bojan wasn't too far removed from being delusional. There’s was little to no chance El Guaje wasn’t going to be a starter. Bojan should’ve seeked a transfer elsewhere a long time ago. In 2010 FC Barcelona was interested in a Zlatan Ibrahimovic/Pato swap but that didn’t materialize because AC Milan weren’t even entertaining the idea of letting the Brazilian go. But it should’ve signalized Bojan that he isn’t rated as highly by his employers. This year Bojan flat-out refused to be a makeweight in the Giuseppe Rossi transfer which also didn’t materialize. Frankly, Bojan and Villarreal would’ve been the much better option, especially since the Yellow Submarine play similar football to FC Barcelona. Not to mention he could’ve stayed in Spain and probably play Champions League football. Now he has to adapt to a new culture, learn a new language and face the reality of the most defensive league in Europe. Great job Bojan!

Sometimes it’s better to swallow your pride.

Join Barca Blaugranes and become members of our website or participate in our chat room on the front page. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Follow me on Twitter @JubeiKibagame or on Google+