The Croatian Midfielder, Ivan Rakitic is regarded as a Barcelona legend. In his 308 appearances for the club, second-most by a foreign player after Lionel Messi, Rakitic has helped Barcelona win 13 trophies. This includes 4 Laliga titles, 4 Copa Del Rey titles, 3 Spanish cups and 1 Champions League title.
Rakitic left Barcelona in the Summer of 2020. He started playing significantly less for the Catalan side in 2019, under Ernesto Valverde as the coach refused to count on him for the season.
The arrivals of Frenkie De Jong, Riqui Puig and Carles Alena were the final nails in the coffin as it made coach Quique Setien prefer younger talent like them over Rakitic. The Croat left the club to re-join Sevilla in 2020.
Despite the unceremonious exit, it was nice to see that the fans have got Rakitic’s back. Barcelona hosted Sevilla at home last night and the fans gave Rakitic quite an applause.
Ever since he walked out to warm up, fans showed great support for Rakitic and gave him a warm reception.
After the match ended, the Croatian midfielder was spotted giving his entire Sevilla kit away to a Barcelona fan. Although this may look a little peculiar, it shows how much love he still has for the fans.
This was the first time Rakitic returned to Camp Nou with fans in attendance as in the last two years, fans weren’t allowed inside due to COVID protocols.
Julen Lopetegui’s side lost the game 1-0 thanks to a goal by Pedri. The Andalusian side’s next outing will be against Granada at home on 9th April.
