I Am Scouted by Real Madrid-Chapter 515 - 13: Bojan No. 9
Do you still remember Bojan?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic left Barcelona, and the number 9 jersey he left behind was now worn by Bojan.
The genius who once faced Chen Zhong in the European Youth Champions League at the Nyon Stadium in Switzerland has finally come into the spotlight.
Many Barcelona fans are filled with expectations for this talented player, and there’s even talk within Barcelona of Bojan replacing Messi.
Before the second round of La Liga, during that "quiet period," the media had no shortage of news about Bojan.
The "World Sports Newspaper" presented the headline "New No. 9," praising Bojan as a perfect number 9, possessing both Messi’s dribbling skills and Villa’s finishing touch.
These are extremely high praises.
David Villa, the main striker of the 2010 World Cup champion Spain Team, a member of the 2008 European Cup champion team, and the top scorer of the 2008 European Cup, transferred to Barcelona this season for 40 million euros, is a top striker with a balanced left and right foot and exquisite shooting skills, one of the top forwards in today’s football.
Lionel Messi, needless to say, was the Ballon d’Or winner in 2009, the world’s most valuable player, and at the beginning of 2010 became the youngest player in Barcelona’s history to score 100 goals, with outstanding dribbling and breakthrough abilities, a trump card in Guardiola’s hand, many say Messi is the real "genius."
Bojan is called the combination of Villa and Messi.
This evaluation couldn’t be higher.
Barcelona’s youth academy has produced many excellent wingers, midfielders, and defenders in recent years, but the center forward position has consistently had low output.
Therefore, Bojan, this local forward seedling, has also won special attention from Catalonia fans.
This time, he wore the number 9 jersey, an act seen by Barcelona fans as highly significant. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
In the youth academy, Bojan always wore the number 9 jersey, but after he joined the Barcelona first team, this genius player, who was full of hope, did not quickly gain the main position in the team like Messi and Chen Zhong.
Acquiring the number 9 jersey that fans believe should belong to him!
The number 9 of Barcelona was first occupied by Eto’o and then by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, now with Ibrahimovic leaving, Bojan finally got his long-desired number 9 jersey.
To express the importance of this matter.
The Catalonia media especially emphasized that this is the first time since the 1994-95 season that Barcelona’s number 9 jersey has been worn by a player developed by Barcelona itself.
During this period, Bojan was also frequently promoted, especially during the quiet period, he faced the adulation of reporters with joy and straightforwardly said: "Since joining the Barcelona youth academy, I have always worn the number 9 jersey. I very much hope to get this number, which has accompanied me for a long time, again because it gives me strength, and now I have finally got my wish."
Originally, everything seemed good, but someone brought up Chen Zhong, the man who once dimmed Bojan’s genius aura.
And when Bojan recalled that match, he still felt a bit scared in his heart, and he spoke up: "I know Chen, we have competed against each other, it was three years ago, at that time we lost the match."
"But now it’s different, we both have experienced a period of growth, he is the number 10 of Real Madrid, and I am the number 9 of Barcelona. I am very much looking forward to facing him again."
"This time, Barcelona will ultimately triumph."
At this moment, Bojan no longer had the arrogant appearance he had three years ago. Over the years, he had always had a determined mentality, keeping his eyes on Chen Zhong at Real Madrid.
When Chen Zhong gradually occupied the main position at Real Madrid, Bojan was determined to improve himself, and when Chen Zhong was sidelined at Real Madrid, his emotions were mixed, feeling a bit gleeful, yet also reminded of his situation.
And when Chen Zhong made a regal comeback and even became a strong contender for the Ballon d’Or, all that remained for Bojan was envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Before this match, many predicted that Bojan would become the second "Messi," and he would become Barcelona’s second untouchable.
Guardiola also praised Bojan before the match: "Bojan is much better than two years ago, and in two years he will be even stronger than now. Every day he is training hard, and I will help him become a better player."
"From my perspective, I am very confident in him. He has great potential for growth. As long as he persists, he can become a top player."
Guardiola’s sincere pre-match remarks also heightened fans’ expectations for Bojan’s performance.
After all, wearing the number 9 jersey for Barcelona doesn’t mean becoming the team’s irreplaceable center forward.
He still needs to perform well in matches to prove himself worthy of Barcelona’s number 9.
And in this match, Bojan got the opportunity to start, which was a great chance to prove himself, but unfortunately, Bojan failed to utilize this opportunity to prove himself; in 45 minutes on the pitch, his performance was very mediocre, and at the start of the second half, he was substituted by Pedro, proving that Guardiola was not too satisfied with Bojan in this match.
