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Euro 2008
Bojan Too Tired for Euros
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Clarence Seedorf pulled out of what would have been his last ever Euros recently, and now Spain’s Barcelona starlet Bojan Krkić has ruled himself out of what would have been his first ever trip to the tournament. Because he’s too tired.
Too tired? Does anyone actually want to play in this tournament? Did it suddenly become the Carling Cup of international football or something? I’m not too happy about this, because youngsters like Bojan emerging on the scene are a big part of what makes a tournament so thrilling. But the 17-year-old would rather stay in bed than play on the big stage this summer. Maybe someone just bought him a copy of Grand Theft Auto 4? I hear it’s addictive.
[deep breath]
On the other hand… Bojan makes the very good point that he’s pretty much burned out from playing too much football. He’s already played in two international tournaments recently: The U-17 European Championship and U-17 World Cup, as well as turning out for Spain’s U-21 team. Not to mention all the games for Barcelona in La Liga and Champions League.
All told, UEFA calculate that Bojan has played 64 games in 12 months. Which is a fair few for a 17 year old. And it’s a little sensationalist to say he’s “pulled out” of the squad. Seems more like he’s told Luis Aragones that he’s just not up to it. So let’s just get used to the idea of a Bojan-less Euro 2008 and hope the youngster makes the most of his rest (which doesn’t mean completing GTA 4, mister) and returns for 2008/9 at full strength.
I do worry about burning these younger players out before they’ve come close to their peak. Karim Benzema has had a great year, but I’m afraid his body and psyche will announce that they’re ready to be done before the tournament even starts.
Posted from 
United States
lol, Daryl give GTA4 a test run and Bojan’s decision will make plenty of sense!
I’d have loved to see him in action for the Red Fury. Maybe I’ll catch him on online multiplayer!
Posted from United States
Wise decision by the kid and Aragones as well. He played for Barca more than anyone has expected this year and deserves a rest.
Posted from 
Poland
What a loser! He isn’t even a starter at Barcelona, and he is “tired”? Lazy ass!
Posted from United States
At first I was disappointed, but the kid is young and needs his rest. See you at WC 2010. Bojan is the real deal.
Hey, if Bojan can beat “Three Leaf Clover,” I’d be proud of ‘im. 
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It’s disappointing for me too, but not all that surprising. Once I heard that Spain was going to leave it up to Barcelona whether or not Bojan played, I didn’t expect to see him. Club vs. Country has, unfortunately, often a pretty predictable winner. This time, I guess it’s country vs. rest, but I can’t blame him too much – he wouldn’t have gotten a start for Spain, most likely, and he has played a hell of a lot of football this year. A summer off might be good for those of us that want to see him have a long, illustrious career.