Ivan Rakitić: Engine Of Barcelona | OneFootball

Ivan Rakitić was undoubtedly the engine of FC Barcelona, although the spotlights were always shining on Messi, Suarez, and Neymar. These three are synonymous with dominant roster of Barcelona, if not La Liga. But Rakitić is the guy that sacrificed everything he was good at in order to make Barcelona so successful. This is an article written for one of the most UNDERRATED players of all time.

Beginning

Born in Switzerland to Croatian parents, young Ivan had only one thing in mind: soccer. His father and older brother were talented players and his early skills attracted the attention of many major European teams. Arsenal in particular showed quite the interest in him early on.

However, the family decided to remain in Switzerland and keep him at his local boyhood club. This allowed Ivan to develop in a more familiar environment and gave him more playing time within smaller clubs. He eventually signed with local club FC Basel, where he had an immediate impact. In his first ever season in the Swiss league he scored the goal of the season: a volley just right outside the box.

Instead of making a jump from the Swiss league straight into Barcelona or Inter Milan, he decided to move to Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga. This was a deliberate choice to play at one of the top leagues in soccer while still developing as a player and as a person. It’s a step very rarely done today.

Schalke 04

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Finally playing in a top league, Rakitić made his presence known immediately. He became a cornerstone of that Schalke Team at just 19 years of age, with 37 appearances in all competition with a 12 G/A. He also led the team to a third place in the league table as well as a solid run at the Champions League. Just when everything all seemed so perfect, a road block emerged.

The next season saw Schalke struggle. It turned out to be one of their worst seasons in the club’s history. They dropped to 8th in the table, and missed out on the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League. They cycled through three different coaches in the year. Much of the blame was put on the young players, and Rakitić was not spared. He lost his spot in the starting eleven. While he was still contributing in the few minutes he was subbed on, it just wasn’t the same. The decision to move at Schalke appeared to have been a mistake.

But when everything seemed bleak, Schalke brought in a manager that would transform Rakitić to the Barcelona legend we all know. Felix Magath clicked very well with Rakitić, even if that relationship was slow to develop. Rakitić only played a full 90-minute game once in the entire first half of Magath’s initial season. After the New Year, however, Magath implemented a 4-3-3 formation with Rakitić taking up the left side of the midfield as a box to box midfielder, the club’s performances improved greatly. They lost only 4 matches in the last 17 Bundesliga games, finishing the season in second place. Only 5 points behind Bayern Munich.

Croatia

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Growing up Rakitć represented Switzerland in the U16, 17, 19, and U21 levels. But he received a call from the Croatian National Team Manager and, in my opinion, made a decision with his heart instead of his head. Switching national teams led to death threats, his home being robbed, and being completely hated by Switzerland fans forever. They may never forgive him, but I believe Rakitić has made the correct decision. Certainly his partnership with Luka Modrić will always be in the history books.

Spain

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His move to Sevilla in the 2011 midseason saw him playing both as a holding midfielder and attacking midfielder. He netted 12 goals in his final season with Sevilla while also winning the Europa League that year. This is a good measure of the impact he had with Sevilla: he was the first foreigner to ever be named captain since Diego Maradona.

With all that success came the eyes and contracts of world’s big clubs. This time he made the jump to Barcelona in the summer of 2014. This move came with the pressure of not just being in the spotlight, but also filling the shoes of his predecessors: Fabregas and Xavi. He was not as flashy as Fabregas, but he was not nearly as press-resistant as Xavi. Initially, Barça fans were not that happy with him. He was often slandered for not having a big enough impact on the pitch or not being what they had before. But it was precisely that that made him so special.

From King of Seville to Servant in Barcelona

He might not have been a starter in his first season, but on the pitch he made sure he could do the job asked of him. Looking back on his early games it seemed like he had an extra lung than anyone else. When the eyes of the world were focused on the incredible combination of MSN, Rakitić quietly stepped into the background. He was always covering when Dani Alves would head up their field to combine with Messi, and became essential midfield glue holding the Barcelona team together.

BERLIN, GERMANY – JUNE 06: Ivan Rakitic of Barcelona holds the trophy as he celebrates victory after the UEFA Champions League Final between Juventus and FC Barcelona at Olympiastadion on June 6, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

He recognized that there were some players who could do more than he could, a humility not commonly seen among professionals. In an interview he once stated: “I run for Messi because he deserves it.” He was the link that made that team operate so smoothly. Driving the ball from deep, to then hand it off to Messi and Neymar, who would make fools out of the opposing defense. Or handing it to Iniesta to then send an incisive pass to Suarez. Others may disagree, but without the Rakitić engine that Barcelona team would not have run as smoothly as it did.

Legacy

Much of the good Rakitić did pulling the strings from behind the scenes was overshadowed by the more flashy figures in the Barcelona roster and their string of success. Sure, he would get due recognition for a game saving tackle or an iconic game winning goal, but he was otherwise unnoticed. All that changed in the 2019/20 season. Barcelona was in a stretch of poor form, and  Rakitić became public enemy number one. When the team needed a scapegoat, he was the one to blame. Time has tempered the fan anger once held towards him, and in going through reddit threads recently, I’m glad to see that people are finally appreciating what Rakitić has done for Barcelona.

Happy Birthday Ivan Rakitić!