At the age of 37, Ivan Rakitic is hanging up his football boots. The Croatian can look back on an extraordinary career – he did it in a special way.
When Ivan Rakitic announced the end of his career on Instagram on Monday afternoon, he addressed the person who made his 17.2 million followers possible in the first place. The person who gave him so many happy moments, but also some sad ones. “Dear soccer, you have been a part of my life from day one,” he says in his farewell video before looking back on his career. From his early days on the soccer fields in Möhlin in the Swiss canton of Aargau, where Rakitic grew up, to his last stop at Hajduk Split in Croatia, his parents’ home country.
Where Rakitic is, there is celebration
In between, Rakitic left an indelible mark on Europe, especially in Spain. The highly talented player with the mischievous grin managed to leave no scorched earth behind him.
Somehow, though, that’s no surprise – because wherever Rakitic went, success followed. He won the Swiss league and cup with FC Basel before joining Schalke 04 in 2007. “It was the first time I had been away from home,” he says in his farewell video. “I got to know new challenges and cultures.” In 2011, he won the DFB Cup with Schalke and then moved to Spain to play for FC Sevilla.
Or a change of heart? Just before signing the contract – Rakitic was already in Andalusia – a top offer from a big club suddenly came in. He was sitting in a bar where a woman named Raquel was serving him. “I said to my brother, ‘I’m definitely staying here. And I want to marry this waitress.’” He married her in 2013.
Things were also going well for him on the pitch, and in 2014 he won the Europa League with Sevilla FC. “Then you surprised me again,” Rakitic said in his interview with Fußball. “You made a dream come true.” He moved on to FC Barcelona.
Barcelona and a blemish
It was his most successful period in sports, which included numerous other trophies as well as the Henkelpott in the first year after signing his contract. Success seemed to follow Rakitic at every turn. “We played the perfect Champions League season,”
“Football, you have given me more than I ever dreamed of,” said Rakitic. “You gave me friends, emotions, joy and tears.” Yes, tears too – because Rakitic’s fabulous career has one major blemish. In the summer of 2018, he missed out on the crowning glory when he lost to France in the World Cup final with the Croatian national team. Had someone overstretched their luck?
Not at all. “You let me return to Sevilla and come full circle to say thank you,” said Rakitic in his ode to soccer. In 2023, he once again held the Europa League trophy in his hands, as captain no less – the first foreigner to do so at FC Sevilla since Diego Maradona.
Rakitic, the all-rounder
After a brief spell at Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia and a stint at Hajduk Split – another of Ivan Rakitic’s lifelong dreams – his football career is now over. He achieved almost everything because he could do almost everything. He was just as good at powerful long-range shots as he was at delicate curlers. He was strong in the tackle but not unfair, dangerous in front of goal but not selfish. He had a feel for the ball, for the game and for the people he met on his journey. Football, what more could you want?
“Now it’s time to say goodbye,” said Rakitic at the end. “Because even though I’m leaving you, I know you’ll never leave me. Thank you, soccer.”
It’s a shame that soccer will never answer him. But even though it can be cruel at times, one thing is certain: Rakitic would have received a thank you in return, at the very least.