Ivan Rakitic

Lore & Background

Rakitić started his professional career at Basel and spent two seasons with them before he was signed by Schalke 04. After spending three-and-a-half seasons in the Bundesliga, he was signed by Sevilla in January 2011. Two years later, Rakitić was confirmed as the club captain and captained the team to UEFA Europa League triumph. In June 2014, Barcelona and Sevilla reached an agreement on the transfer of Rakitić. In his first season with Barça, he won the treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League. He scored the first goal of the 2015 Champions League final and became the first player ever to win the Champions League a year after winning the Europa League while playing for two clubs. After appearing in 310 games and winning ten more trophies with Barcelona, Rakitić returned to Sevilla in 2020 and won the Europa League again in the 2023 UEFA Europa League final.

In Their Own Story

The lights at Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán hummed with electric anticipation as the clock ticked down in extra time. Ivan Rakitic received the ball deep in midfield, his eyes scanning the chaotic shapes of the opposition defense. With a calm that belied the stakes, he turned, shielding the ball effortlessly before unleashing a perfectly weighted through-ball that split the backline. The crowd erupted as the striker finished, but all eyes returned to the Croatian, who simply raised a hand in acknowledgment, the architect of yet another historic victory.

Reader's Guide

Rakitić was born in Rheinfelden in the Swiss canton of Aargau to Croat parents. He grew up in Möhlin, canton of Aargau. He made his first-team debut for Basel on 29 September 2005 during the UEFA Cup away match at Široki Brijeg. He was signed by Schalke 04 on 22 June 2007 for €5 million. On 28 January 2011, he signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Sevilla for a transfer fee of €2.5 million. He was named Sevilla captain at the beginning of the 2013–14 season. He captained the team to the 2014 UEFA Europa League title. He transferred to Barcelona in June 2014. He returned to Sevilla in 2020 and won the Europa League again in 2023.

Did You Know?

• Rakitić scored the first goal of the 2015 Champions League final.
• He became the first player ever to win the Champions League a year after winning the Europa League while playing for two clubs.
• At the time of his retirement from international duty in September 2020, he was the fourth most-capped player in the history of Croatia.
• He was named the best young player of the 2006–07 Swiss Super League season.