Bojan prepared to work for Barcelona berth

Double strike
Bojan caused a stir with his prolific record in the youth ranks. Having been joint-top scorer at the 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Championship for Spain aged just 15, a year later he struck the winning goal in the final. By then Frank Rijkaard had already included him in his first-team squad, and in 2007/08 the Dutchman made Bojan the youngest Barcelona player to appear in the UEFA Champions League. He also became their youngest goalscorer in a Liga match and his ten strikes 14 starts endeared him further to the Camp Nou crowd.

Substitute role
However, since Guardiola succeeded Rijkaard in the summer, the forward has been eclipsed by other starlets including Sergi Busquets, Pedro Rodríguez and Víctor Sánchez. Bojan is yet to start a Liga game, coming off the bench seven times. "As his coach, I haven't seen an opportunity for him to start a game yet," Guardiola said earlier this month. "The only problem he has is that it's me who decides who plays but, look, he's been involved in nearly every game this season."

Basel comeback
Guardiola did give Bojan a start on UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 at FC Basel 1893, and the 18-year-old responded with a fine performance that included two goals in a 5-0 win. "I'm happy I was in the starting lineup," Bojan said. "I tried to enjoy it as much as possible and scoring two goals was a big help. We gained an important victory and would seem to have almost qualified. We must now try to win [at home to Basel on Tuesday] and also the games that come after that; that's our goal."

No frustration
Given his senior Spain debut against Armenia last month, Bojan is not frustrated that, just for the moment, his stellar rise has been checked. "Step by step I'm getting my opportunities and what's important for me is to be prepared to show my best whenever possible," Bojan said. "Little by little I need to gain the trust of the coach and prove I can play at the same level as my team-mates."

Growing
Along with earning Guardiola's trust, Bojan is also demonstrating his reliability to produce the goods when needed. A wonderfully struck 52nd- minute goal gave his team a first-leg win in the Copa del Rey round of 32 encounter with Benidorm CD on Tuesday. Bojan later mentioned that, despite his reported shyness in the dressing room, he is growing with every game. "I'm continuing in a calm manner to gain confidence," he said. "We've earned [our tenth consecutive] victory here and of course I'm thrilled with my goal." For now, Bojan seems quite happy to blend in with others who came through the Barcelona ranks, including Víctor Valdés, Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Lionel Messi and his close friend Gerard Piqué.