How Bojan Lost His Way in MLS

Sometimes, soccer can be harsh. And Bojan Krkić knows this all too well. His career kicked off on top of the world at Barcelona, with a path seemingly paved for greatness. Everyone thought we were witnessing Spain's next big thing—the prodigy who would break barriers and leave his mark among the giants of world soccer. But instead, his journey turned into a bumpy ride, full of ups and downs, eventually leading to a bittersweet goodbye from what used to be the Montreal Impact in MLS.

The guy was a genius with the ball at his feet back when he first burst onto the scene at Barça. But what we saw recently in Montreal was a player desperately trying to remind everyone he still existed. It’s almost ironic to think that the Canadian club, which should've been a fresh start, ended up being yet another disappointment in the Spanish striker’s career.

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Bojan arrived at the Impact with huge expectations. The club needed a star, someone who could take them to the next level, and Bojan, with all his European experience, seemed like the perfect choice. He landed in MLS in August 2019 with a contract through the end of 2020. There he was, the “superstar” meant to set the league on fire with goals and next-level play. And, sure enough, in his debut—even though the team lost to the Chicago Fire—it looked like he might actually pull it off. Bojan showed flashes of what once made him one of Europe’s biggest promises.

But, like we’ve seen in too many stories of young talents, that’s not how things played out. Bojan scored his first goal for the Impact at the end of August, but the celebration felt more like a sigh of relief than true excitement. After all, he hadn’t found the back of the net in 11 months. That’s a red flag, right there—something had been off for a while.

The truth is, the Bojan of 2020 was a shadow of the kid who once lit up Camp Nou. At Impact, he had his moments of brilliance, but they were rare—like lightning in a stormy sky. It always seemed like he was on the verge of a comeback, but he just couldn’t cross that line. And then, in December 2020, came the final blow: Montreal decided not to pick up the option to keep him for another season.

That wasn’t just a hit to Bojan; it was a clear sign that his career was heading into murky waters. Being left out of the roster for the CONCACAF Champions League? That’s pretty much a club saying, “Thanks, but we don’t need you anymore.” Bojan, who was supposed to be Impact’s biggest name, became a guy they could do without. And that, my friends, is tough.

It makes you wonder how a player with so much potential could end up like this. Was it the pressure? Did he never really know how to handle the weight of being Spain’s next big star? Maybe it was a mix of all that. If you can’t deal with the expectations and the pressure, the sports world will chew you up and spit you out. And for Bojan, that’s exactly what seems to have happened. Broken promises, injuries, inconsistency—all of it kept dragging him further down.

And let’s not forget, MLS is still seen by many in Europe as a “lesser” league, almost like a retirement home for players past their prime. Bojan was 29 at the time—still young enough to compete at a high level in Europe—but he chose to roll the dice in Canada. Maybe he saw MLS as a chance to rebuild, but in the end, it just didn’t work out.

What’s crystal clear from this whole saga is that soccer is unpredictable. It’s a game where even the most talented players don’t always find success. For a long time, Bojan was one of the world’s most promising young stars, but his career just never took off the way so many people thought it would.