FORMER wonderkid John Bostock, who was offered a 10-year contract by Barcelona, is now a free agent looking for his 15TH club.
Bostock burst onto the scene at the tender age of 14 while starting out at boyhood club Crystal Palace and was so good he often played above his age group.
The midfielder’s stunning development caught Barca’s attention who got in touch and offered him a deal that would see him joining their ranks for a decade.
The Blaugrana were so keen to have him they even sent him a signed poster by then superstar Ronaldinho after finding out he was Bostock’s favourite player.
According to Sport, however, the now 30-year-old turned down a move to the Nou Camp because his parents wanted him to continue his development in London.
The ex-England youth international was also approached by other major clubs – including Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea – but rejected them all in favour of the team he grew up supporting.
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Bostock told the BBC two years ago: “When I was 14, Barcelona offered me a 10-year contract.
“Ronaldinho was my favourite player at the time so they sent me a signed poster from him.
“I’ve still got it at my house in London. It said: ‘To John from Ronaldinho’.
“You name the club, I had interest from them. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter [Milan], Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool – the who’s who of European football.”
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However, the youngster, who was dubbed the next big thing, didn’t get the career many expected he would have.
Bostock left Crystal Palace for Tottenham in a dramatic move that saw the two clubs going to a tribunal in 2008.
But he never managed to play in the Premier League as he was offloaded on loan to Brentford, Hull, Sheffield Wednesday, Swindon and Toronto until his departure in 2013.
Bostock’s nomadic career extended abroad with spells at Royal Antwerp, Leuven, Lens, Bursaspor and Toulouse, who loaned him out to Nottingham Forest.
The versatile midfielder joined Doncaster Rovers in 2021 but left in June following the club’s relegation from League One.
And so the young talent, who could have ended up playing alongside Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique at Barcelona, is once more a free agent.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
