No. He seemed to have a lot of potential, but his actual talent level doesn't look like it progressed since 2009. He's twenty-two, so he could be a late bloomer, but I doubt it.
Depends what's "world class", and that debate is a monster. But for a little boy who once started hobbying football, he's done well enough, earning himself a nice living, playing for legendary clubs' first teams etc, and indeed he is young still. Hype not fulfilled, but must be nice still.
He is only 22 so he has time, he next stop at Ajax should do the trick. They are expert in dealing with young players and teaching them right. I think choosing spain hurt him and he wouldve been better off playing for Serbia instead. Same thing that might happen to Thiago who wouldve been better off playing for brasil instead of spain. Now he is behind farbergas, mata, isco, sergio canales, silva and a bunch of other midfielders. Spain loves to tie up other countries players to keep them as insurance. []__[]
Barcelona youth player who showed a lot of promise. As a all-time Barcelona youth scorer, he was rapidly and aggressiintegrated into the Barcelona A-team in, I believe, around 2008
Ajax is expert at that, agreed. But then again so is Barca. Thiago's case is completely different from Bojan's, and as far as "Spain's love of tieing up players", it was Thiago's decision, not Spain's. And anyway, it is a bit of a stretch to blame Bojan's inability to fulfill the hype on his chosen NT.
Barcelona dealings with youth is overrated most of the players from their academy have to leave the club establish themselves somewhere else and then come back. As far as it being thiago's decision you are right to an extent, but spain goes out of their way to give a young player a call up long before they are ready for the senior team just to tie them up. Once they tied that player up they hardly call them again if they dont need him. They convince that player that they will be part of their future only to set them aside. []__[]
His loan to Ajax will help him out but I think after his loan to Ajax he should move to another la liga club like Valencia or he could join Monaco. But since he has done great in La Liga already I think he should move to one of the mid table teams.
Please name these players you're talking of though... Thiago will play a huge role in the Spanish team in the near future imo, unless he doesn't perform at club level. As for Bojan, there's nothing that says worldclass about him imo, i've never seen anything about his game that has ever amazed me (Thiago also to some extent, but you can tell Thiago actually has more potential)
There is another issue with youth players. Most times bigger faster players will outshine a player which has more on the ball skill and awareness simply for their raw power. But eventually that player which was a skinny 13-17 year old and always a sub in during the youth competitions grows out of the child's body and now he's still small but his ball skills are more developed than the player which used mostly raw power to push around kids. So both go pro.. one has great passing quality and ball control, the other is still trying to shoulder professional defenders off the ball. Guess who's going to actually pan out as a better player!? And this happens a LOT during the transition of youth to professional. Especially youth strikers.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...n-krkics-anguish-with-barca-roma-and-ac-milan No, it's pretty obvious that Bojan has massive ego problems and he blames everyone but himself for how his career had turned out.
It's obvious that had Thiago not been called up to the Spanish senior team for a friendly or two then Brazil could have snatched him up as Brazil could need someone like Thiago.
He won't be world class but can still become a decent player. I think there was too much pressureon him and Messi to perform when they were younger. Messi handled it well, Bojan didn't and hasn't developed enough to warrant playing time at a big club like Barca.
I noticed you still didn't name the players that Spain has had a habit of "tying down" and never called them back despite them being very good in their clubs. Wasn't Del bosque going to include Bojan in the WC10 squad before Bojan said he wasn't ready? And do you really think Bojan has had a good season where he deserved to be called up to the NT ??? The same goes for Thiago, with his last 2 seasons, do you really believe he deserved a place in the Spanish midfield during the euros & the confederations cup ??? Do you even think he deserved a place in the Brazilian midfield at the confederations cup, based on his performances last season???
Thiago wouldn't start on the current Brazilian squad. He would be fighting for a call up even. How does that make him somebody that's needed by Brazil? He's 22 years old guys, he's not a young up and coming sensation. There are probably a 19-20 year old in some club in Brazil that's 1 good Brasileirao away from being called up to the squad and being considered much better than Thiago.
It's the clubs fault, they gave him a lot too quick and then took it all away. His career skyrocket only for the club to take the rug from under him quick when guardiola took over. Soccer is a mentality and confidence game and when you lose it is hard to gain it back. []__[]
Barca didn't take the rug from under Bojan; the article made it clear that Guardiola wanted him to go to the B team to play regularly and gain experience. Bojan on the other hand had an ego and though that he's too good to be in the B team, even though he's only 17 years old. The end result is that he didn't developed at all and eventually was exposed as being a fraud. Soccer is a mentality and confidence game and the ones who have the potential to be world class are born with the mentality to gain back their confidence easily when they lose it. Bojan doesn't have that mentality; he doesn't understand that he's not as good as he thinks he is and has a lot to learn.
Huh ??? wasn't it Pep who gave him his chance at Barca, and even went as far as starting him over Zlatan later in the season ???