Weary Bojan out of Spain reckoning
Friday, May 16, 2008
Article summary
Bojan Krkić will not travel to UEFA EURO 2008™with Spain after the talented teenager admitted suffering from fatigue caused by a year of competitive football.
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Amicable agreement
The 17-year-old said that he and Spanish manager Luis Aragonés had "reached a pact" and that, after talking, both parties agreed the youngster needed a break. "I know what it is I'm missing out on but I've reached a point where I'm very tired," said the FC Barcelona player. "At no point did I ever say 'no' to the Spanish team. On the other hand, I want to be honest with the manager, the [Spanish Football] Federation and with myself."
Non-stop
Bojan's marathon year took in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship from 2 to 13 May 2007, in which the youngster scored the winning goal in the final. Before the end of the 2006/07 season, he also featured for the Spanish Under-21s. A call up to pre-season training with the FC Barcelona first team then followed before Bojan represented his country at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Korea. Once back in Spain, Bojan began competing in the Primera División and the UEFA Champions League, giving him a total of 64 games in 12 months.
Fully committed
With Luis Aragonés set to announce his 23-man squad for UEFA EURO 2008™, the Barcelona player insisted that although he would miss this summer's finals, his commitment to Spain should not be questioned. "My commitment to the Spanish set-up can't be called into doubt when you consider that I have always played when I have been called upon to do so," he said. "I played at a [UEFA] European Championship and a [FIFA] World Cup at Under-17 level and took part in three or four games with the Under-21s. There are no personal problems, I'm just exhausted and I need to disconnect."