Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic has criticized the
Catalan club’s approach to it in recent times and sought
to force him to leave his ranks last year.
“I understand the situation, but I am not just a bag of
potatoes that you can dispose of as you wish,” Rakitic
said in remarks quoted by local newspaper El Mundo
Deportivo.
“I want to be in a place where I feel welcome and
respected. If this is available here, I will be happy, and if
this is available elsewhere, I will be the one who decides
where to go and not others,” according to Reuters.
The 32-year-old confirmed that he refused to move to
French league champion Paris Saint-Germain last year
as part of a deal to return the Brazilian Neymar to
Barcelona.
He also expressed his disappointment as a result of his
exit from the starting lineup this season, but he stressed
his desire to remain until the end of his contract in 2021,
which means the team is unable to obtain any amount in
return for his departure.
“Last year was the best year in the 6 years I spent here
and felt upset by the way they treated me. I was very
surprised and couldn’t believe what was happening.
The results were not the best and I didn’t play much and
that is why I feel offended,” Rakitic said.
“I faced a strange atmosphere in the first half of the
season and the situation was completely uncomfortable
and strange to me, but I hope that I will continue until
the end of the last year of my decade.”
It is noteworthy that Rakitic has been playing for
Barcelona since 2014, but he became out of the starting
the line-up during the current season in the presence of
Dutch midfielder Frinky de Jong, and participated only
in 10 of the 27 matches the team played in the Spanish
first division football.
Barcelona is currently at the top of the standings in the
Spanish league suspended indefinitely due to the
outbreak of the new Coronavirus in Spain and many
European countries and the world.
