Rakitic: Messi and Suarez were not my best friend
Seville star Ivan Rakitic said that he was not a “close friend” of
Lionel Messi or Luis Suarez, while he was at Barcelona.
In an interview with El Desmarque, the Croatian player
indicated that his close friends at the Catalan club were Andres
Iniesta, Ter Stegen, Boateng and Junior Verbo.
“I respect Messi and Suarez, for I played with them for six years
and they are two very important players,” added Rakitic.
He continued: “The closure period that accompanied the
outbreak of the new Corona virus brought us closer to each
other, and I am grateful for all Barcelona players treating me in
a distinguished manner over the years that I played for the
Blaugrana.”
Rakitic announced his retirement from international football
with the Croatia national team, who arrived with him in the
summer of 2018 to the World Cup Final.
“Farewell to the national team is the most difficult decision I
have made in my professional career, but I felt it was the right
time,” Rakitic said in remarks to the Croatian Federation’s
website.
It is worth noting that Rakitic participated in 106 matches with
the Croatian national team, during which he scored 15 goals.
