Premier League flop dubbed 'next Messi' leaves his 10th club in fresh blow

Former Barcelona star Bojan Krkic will soon be on the look out for another new club with his Vissel Kobe spell set to end.

The Spaniard has endured a nomadic career that has taken him from Spain to England, Canada and Japan, among several other countries. A product of the famed La Masia academy, Bojan looked set for big things when he broke into the Barcelona team under Pep Guardiola.

He became the club's youngest ever goalscorer over a decade ago but has since seen his career nosedive, and his time at Japanese outfit Vissel Kobe will soon end. Bojan joined the J1 League club back in 2021, but at the age of 32 will again find himself on the market.

He said: "I would like to thank everyone involved with Vissel Kobe for giving me the opportunity to come to Japan and experience this country and the league. While interacting with the culture of this country, I felt the love and respect from everyone.

"Thanks to that, I was able to adapt to the environment right away, and I developed a sense of respect for Japan as a country. My challenge at Vissel Kobe will end with this, but I will continue to support the team as a supporter with this memory as a treasure."

Bojan's globe-trotting career began in Spain and he departed for Roma in 2011 after collecting a host of winners' medals with the Blaugrana. He cost the Italian outfit €12million (£10.6m) but only spent a year at Stadio Olimpico before he was sent to AC Milan on loan.

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Ajax were the next European giant he would join, following conversations with the legendary Johann Cruyff. He won the Eredivisie title in the Netherlands but was again on the move the following summer, this time to the Premier League with Stoke City.

Mark Hughes, then in charge of the Potters, said: "Anyone who knows European football will be aware of him as a player and the fact that he sees his future at Stoke City is really exciting. He's desperate to prove himself in the Premier League and we're pleased to be able to offer him that platform."

Bojan was in and out of the starting XI at Stoke, eventually being part of the side that was relegated to the Championship. He spent loan spells away, playing briefly with German club Mainz and Alaves in his native Spain, before his contract was mutually ended in 2019. That freed the forward up to move to Major League Soccer, where he joined Montreal Impact. There, he worked under Thierry Henry but was by no means prolific before moving to Japan, where he struggled in front of goal.

With his departure from the Japanese club confirmed, the future is unclear for the once-capped Spain international.