Ivan Rakitic is retiring from football. The former FC Barcelona and Croatian national team player feels it’s been a good run at the age of 37.
Rakitic played for the Croatian club Hajduk Split last season. The team’s coach had previously announced that the midfielder would be retiring, but Rakitic had not yet confirmed it. He finally announced his retirement on Monday with a video on Instagram.
This brings an end to a fine career for Rakitic. After years at FC Basel (2005-2007), Schalke 04 (2007-2010) and Sevilla (2011-2014), the Croatian experienced his peak at FC Barcelona, which he served from 2014 to 2020.
Rakitic won four league titles with the club and scored in the 2015 Champions League final against Juventus. He tapped in the 1-0 on a pass from Andrés Iniesta. Ultimately, it was 3-1 for FC Barcelona.
In 2020, Rakitic returned to Sevilla, with whom he won the Europa League twice. In January last year, he moved to the Saudi club Al Shabab, where he played for only half a year. He then chose Hajduk, where he was grandly welcomed by the fans.
Rakitic also celebrated considerable success with the Croatian national team. At the 2018 World Cup, the country, which has less than four million inhabitants, reached the final, which was lost 4-2 against France. Rakitic also played in the European Championships of 2008, 2012 and 2016, and the World Cup of 2014.