Leo Messi and Bojan Krkic played together at Barcelona for several years but the two players are linked together with something more than just a Camp Nou past.
In fact, Leo and Bojan are distant relatives, 4th cousins to be precise.
Here's their family tree in a short version and an expanded Spanish version which we'll explain to you below:
So, everything started with Mariano Perez Miralles and Teresa Llobera Minguet - they got married in 1846 in Catalonia. They had some children together, including Ramon Perez and Goncal Perez. These two are the ancestors of Leo's and Bojan's lines.
Leo's line:
- Ramon Perez's son Josep Perez moved to Argentina, he had a daughter Rosa Maria Perez - it's Leo's paternal grandmother.
- Rosa Maria Perez married into the Messi family there - she and Eusebio Messi are the parents of Jorge Horacio Messi Perez, Leo's father.
Bojan's line:
Goncal Perez's history is less known: he was born in Catalonia and had a son named Jaume Perez who also had a son named Salvador Perez, Bojan's maternal grandfather.
Salvador Perez has a daughter Maria Lluisa Perez - Bojan's mother - who married Serbian Bojan Krkic - the former Barca player's father whose names are identical.
To put it shortly: Leo's great-great-grandfather and Bojan's great-great-grandfather were brothers.
