Ivan Rakitić (Croatian pronunciation:[ǐʋanrǎkititɕ];[4][5] born 10 March 1988) is a former professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder. He is currently the technical director ofHajduk Split, the club with whom he ended his playing career.
Rakitić started his professional career atBasel and spent two seasons with them before he was signed bySchalke 04. After spending three-and-a-half seasons in theBundesliga, he was signed bySevilla in January 2011. Two years later, Rakitić was confirmed as the clubcaptain and captained the team toUEFA Europa League triumph. In June 2014,Barcelona and Sevilla reached an agreement on the transfer of Rakitić. In his first season with Barça, he wonthe treble ofLa Liga,Copa del Rey andUEFA Champions League. He scored the first goal of the2015 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 the2023 UEFA Europa League final.
Born in Switzerland to Croatian parents fromYugoslavia, Rakitić played for Switzerland at youth level, but decided to represent Croatia at senior level. He made his debut for theCroatia national team in 2007 and has since represented the country atUEFA Euro 2008,2012 and2016, and the2014 and2018 FIFA World Cup, reachingthe final of the latter. He retired from international duty in September 2020, having made 106 appearances. At the time of his retirement, he was the fourth most-capped player in the history of Croatia and is seen as one of the country's greatest ever players.
Rakitić was born inRheinfelden[6] in the Swisscanton of Aargau toCroat parents. His father Luka Rakitić is aŠokac fromSikirevci inCroatia,[7][8] while his mother Kata (née Papić) is aBosnian Croat fromPonijevo nearŽepče.[9][10] He grew up inMöhlin, canton of Aargau.[11] He has a brother, Dejan, and a sister, Nikol. Rakitić has a tattoo bearing his brother's name on his right arm.[12] Rakitić spent his childhood and early career inSwitzerland. His father and older brother were also footballers. At age 16, his potential was noticed by top European scouts, and went for trials with clubs such asArsenal, but he and his family decided to stay atBasel to allow him to play more regularly in a smaller league instead.[12]
After spending some short time in the youth teams, Rakitić went on to make his first-team debut forBasel on 29 September 2005 during theUEFA Cup away match atŠiroki Brijeg. He made his firstSwiss Super League appearance on 15 April 2006 in Basel's away match againstNeuchâtel Xamax. Although these two matches were the only ones he played during his first professional season with Basel, he went on to establish himself as a regular contributor in his second season, scoring 11 goals in 33 Super League appearances. Also making nine UEFA cup appearances during this time, he was named the best young player of the 2006–07 Super League season along with receiving the SwissGoal of the Year award for an impressive goal he scored againstSt. Gallen on 22 October 2006.[13]
After an impressive showing as a teenager, Rakitić was again sought by large European clubs.[12] Subject to such, he was eventually signed by German sideSchalke 04 on 22 June 2007, for €5 million.[14]
Rakitić made his debut for Schalke on 21 July 2007 in thePremiere Ligapokal fixture againstKarlsruher SC and eventually appeared in the remaining two matches as Schalke finished as league runners-up. On 5 August 2007, Rakitić scored his first competitive goal for his new club in their 0–9 away win overEintracht Trier in the first round of theDFB-Pokal.[15]
On 10 August 2007, thenew Bundesliga season was commenced with a clash between championsVfB Stuttgart and Schalke. Rakitić came on as a second-half substitute and scored his first Bundesliga goal within just seven minutes on the field as his side played out a 2–2 draw.[16] On 15 September 2007, he managed to make impressions again by scoring the only goal for Schalke in their 1–1 away draw atBayern Munich.[17] Three days later, Rakitić made hisUEFA Champions League debut in the 0–1 home defeat toValencia. He then went on to make a total of seven appearances in the2007–08 Champions League season,[18] including a strong and very impressive midfield role in Schalke's home fixture againstChelsea in the group stage. He and former teammateMladen Krstajić were temporarily cut from the squad the night before Schalke's next fixture againstRosenborg due to being caught skipping training and taking part in a late-night partying.[19] Helping his side prevail in the penalty shootout againstPorto to reach the quarter-finals for the first time,[20] Rakitić had to miss both the fixtures of such against Chelsea due to an ankle injury sustained in training. He was kept out of action for a month[21] as Schalke were eliminated from the tournament without him.[citation needed]
Shortly upon his returning from injury, Rakitić discovered top form as he scored a goal and assisted another two in the vital 0–3 victory atVfL Bochum,[22] which made sure Schalke finished at least third in league table and secured a place in the next Champions League. He continued such form in the next fixture againstEintracht Frankfurt, assisting Mladen Krstajić for the only goal of the match to conclude with Schalke a positive home season. In total, he finished his first Bundesliga season with 3 goals and 10 assists in 29 appearances.[23] In thesubsequent season, Rakitić played in Schalke's 3–0 victory overHannover 96, assisting two goals in the openingBundesliga fixture.[24]
On 28 January 2011, Rakitić signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with SpanishLa Liga clubSevilla for a transfer fee of €2.5 million.[25] Upon his arrival, Rakitić was immediately included in the starting XI of the team, making his debut on 6 February 2011 againstMálaga. In next game, againstRacing de Santander, he scored an own-goal but managed to get back on track and scored his first goal for Sevilla in the match againstHércules in the next matchday. Due to a fractured foot, Rakitić was forced to miss the last four La Liga fixtures.[26] He scored five goals in his first half-season with Sevilla in2010–11, starting in all 13 matches after his arrival and before the foot injury.[citation needed]
During the2011–12 season, Rakitić continued to be a first team regular and a key component of the squad. Due to managerial changes and new tactical schemes introduced by new coachMarcelino, who was later replaced byMíchel, Rakitić was given a different role on the pitch than the one he had the previous season, when he was used as central midfielder under coachGregorio Manzano; during the course of the season, he was mostly deployed as a defensive midfielder. By the end of the season, he made total of 39 appearances for the club, provided six assists and scored one goal in the2011–12Copa del Rey. This turned out to be his only goalless Liga season while playing for Sevilla.[citation needed]
Rakitić began the2012–13 La Liga season by providing an assist in the opening match againstGetafe. On 12 September, he provided another assist forPiotr Trochowski at home in a 1–0 win overReal Madrid. He scored his first goal of the season on Matchday 5 againstDeportivo de La Coruña. Rakitić scored two goals in the opening 20 minutes of the secondSeville derby of the season against cross-city rivalsReal Betis.[27] This was his third goal of the season against Sevilla's city rivals, given the fact that he had also scored in the first Seville derby of the season, when Sevilla celebrated a 5–1 victory. During the match againstReal Sociedad, Rakitić added two goals to his tally, however, the second one was an own goal, tying the match at 1–1 after he scored the first goal to give his club a 1–0 lead.[28] Until the end of the season, he made total of 42 appearances for the club and scored 12 goals for the team, three coming in theCopa del Rey. He also finished the season providing ten league assists. Statistics showed that Rakitić created 100 chances in total, a sum ranking fourth across all players in Europe that season.[29]
At the beginning of the2013–14 La Liga season, coachUnai Emery named Rakitić as the new Sevilla captain.[30] Since the beginning of the season, he was one of the most prominent players of the league, scoring the first goal and assisting for the second in a 3–2 away loss againstBarcelona on 14 September. In the two last games of September, he scored two goals in a 1–4 away win overRayo Vallecano, and assisted for the draw 1–1 goal against Real Sociedad. In the final three games of October, Rakitić scored a goal in a 2–0 home win againstSC Freiburg, a 2–1 home win overAlmería and two goals in a 7–3 loss at theSantiago Bernabéu Stadium against Real Madrid.[31] In the third and fourth games of November, he contributed an assist in away 1–3 win againstEspanyol, and two more respectively in a 4–0 home win against Sevilla rivals Betis. In the last game of December, he assisted in a 1–2 away win againstVillarreal, helping Sevilla reach a top ten position after a disappointing start of the season, as well attracting attention from other international clubs.[32][33] In the first game of the 2014 calendar year, he scored in a 3–0 home win against Getafe. In January, he scored two more La Liga goals for Sevilla againstAtlético Madrid[34] andLevante, respectively, while also missing a penalty kick in the latter fixture.[35] These performances earned him aLa Liga Player of the Month award.[36]
Rakitić's impressive form continued in the season, with several assists and goals from February to May, including two assists in the Europa League 2–2 away draw againstMaribor, an assist in the 2–1 home win over Real Madrid and a goal against Porto in a 4–1 home win. He also assisted in the semi-final first leg 2–0 win over Valencia, which they won on aggregate (3–3), thus qualifying for theEuropa League Final. He was man of the match as Sevilla won theFinal 4–2 on penalties overBenfica atJuventus Stadium inTurin.[37] He was the first player to captain a team to victory in the UEFA Europa League Final and also pick up the official man of the match award.[38] He was included in the UEFA Europa League Team of the Season.[39] By the Spanish national football leagueassociation, Rakitić was chosen in La Liga first XI in both first round, and team of the season.[40][41] He finished the season scoring 15 goals, and recording 17 assists.[42] At the season'sLFP Awards, Rakitić won the Fair Play Award and was nominated for Best Midfielder, an award ultimately given to Barcelona'sAndrés Iniesta.[43]
On 16 June 2014, Barcelona signed Rakitić on a five-year contract effective 1 July.[44][45] Upon his arrival, Rakitić was given the squad shirt number 4. He made his debut for the team in a pre-season friendly match against French clubNice on 2 August, when he came on as a second-half substitute forSergi Roberto.[46]
During a pre-season friendly againstHJK Helsinki, Rakitić provided his first assists for Barça, assisting twice in 6–0 victory.[47] His official debut for Barcelona came on 24 August in the opening match of the new Liga season, againstElche. Just moments after half-time, Rakitić played a long ball over-top of Elche's defence towards forwardMunir, who flicked the ball it into the far corner of the net to make it 2–0 for Barcelona.[48]
Rakitić's first goal for Barcelona came from outside of thepenalty area in a 0–5 away win against Levante on 21 September 2014.[49] In the next week's game, againstGranada, Rakitić headed inLionel Messi's cross for his second goal of the season in a 6–0 victory atCamp Nou.[50] On 18 March 2015, Rakitić scored the first Champions League goal of his career in a 1–0 win against English championsManchester City in theround of 16 second leg at Camp Nou.[51]
On 6 June 2015, Rakitić scored the opening goal in a 3–1 win against Italian champions Juventus in the2015 UEFA Champions League Final atBerlin'sOlympiastadion, becoming the second Croat ever to score in a Champions League final (afterMario Mandžukić in2013).[52] This made Barcelona the first club in history to winthe treble of domestic league, domestic cup and European Cup twice.[53] Rakitić, for the second year in a row, was included in the La Liga and European (Champions League) team of the season.[54][55]
On 3 December 2018, in aChampions Leaguegroup stage game againstTottenham Hotspur, he scored the second Barça's goal in the 4–2 triumph.[64] The strike was later named the Goal of the Group Stage by fans.[65]
On 2 March 2019, Rakitić scored the only goal of the match against Real Madrid; after whichJosé Mourinho identified him as "one of the most underrated players in the world".[66][67]
Rakitić's playing time was severely reduced during the2019–20 season and his role in the team decreased following the arrival ofFrenkie de Jong.[68] In October 2019 the player stated: "I want to play, and not just enjoy walking around Barcelona and the sea. I talked to the people in the club, everyone knew about the other options I had, it was no secret."[69]
On 14 June 2020, in Barcelona's first game after theCOVID-19 pandemic, Rakitić celebrated his 300th official game in Barcelona's jersey as the club defeatedMallorca 4–0.[70] On 23 June, he scored his first goal of the season in a 1–0 victory overAthletic Bilbao, securing important three points in the title race.[71][72] After Barcelona lost8–2 to Bayern Munich in theChampions Leaguequarter-final on 14 August and coachQuique Setién was sacked, newly appointed coachRonald Koeman informed Rakitić that he was not part of his plans for theupcoming season, alongside teammatesLuis Suárez,Arturo Vidal andSamuel Umtiti.[73] At the time of his departure from the club, Rakitić had more appearances for the club than any other European non-Spanish player in its history.[74]
On 1 September 2020, Rakitić signed for Sevilla on a four-year contract, returning to the club after six years for a nominal €1.5m fee.[75][76]
On 24 September, he played his first game for Sevilla after coming back, against Bayern Munich in theUEFA Super Cup inBudapest. He won a penalty after being tackled byDavid Alaba, whichLucas Ocampos successfully converted; however, Bayern came from behind to win the game 2–1after extra time.[77][78] Three days later, he scored his first goal since his return as Sevilla defeatedCádiz 3–1.[79][80] On 10 February 2021, he scored a goal in theCopa del Rey semi-final to seal a 2–0 victory over his former club Barcelona.[81][82]
On 23 August 2021, in a 1–0 victory over Getafe, Rakitić played his jubilee 200th match for Sevilla.[83] On 31 May 2023, he won hissecond Europa League trophy with Sevilla.[84]
On 20 July 2024, Rakitić announced his departure from Al-Shabab, joiningHajduk Split in his home country of Croatia on a free transfer. The club put out an official statement regarding Rakitić's transfer on 21 July.[86] This move marked the first time Rakitić played club football in Croatia. He made 39 appearances for Hajduk in all competitions in the 2024–25 season, scoring two goals and providing five assists.
On 1 July 2025, Hajduk head coachGonzalo García announced that Rakitić had officially ended his playing career, and would be transitioning into a position as the assistant of the club's newsporting directorGoran Vučević moving forward.[87] On 7 July, Rakitić confirmed his retirement via social media.[88]
Rakitić's first international experience came at youth level with the Switzerlandunder-17,under-19 andunder-21 national teams, but decided to accept the call-up byCroatia national team coachSlaven Bilić and play for the nation's senior team.[89] He made his full international debut for Croatia on 8 September 2007 in theirUEFA Euro 2008 qualifier againstEstonia inZagreb, highly praised by the fans as he was entering the game as a substitute.[90] In Croatia's following qualifier, a 0–6 away win overAndorra on 12 September 2007, he scored his first international goal for Croatia in only his second appearance for the team. He finished the year 2007 with five senior international caps to his name, four of which were in the successful Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.[91]
In early May 2008, he joined Croatia's squad for theEuro 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland, where he was the second-youngest player in the tournament.[92] He made his first appearance at the tournament as a starter againstGermany, and eventually provided a shot which ricocheted off the post and allowed teammateIvica Olić to score the second goal in their 2–1 victory. He formed a praised trio of Croatian attacking midfielders with his teammatesLuka Modrić andNiko Kranjčar. Though playing a strong role againstTurkey in the quarter-finals of the tournament, Rakitić went on to miss one of the three unsuccessful penalties in the shootout, thus leading to a victory for Turkey.[93]
Rakitić continued to appear regularly for Croatia during their unsuccessful qualifying campaign for the2010 FIFA World Cup, making a total of ten appearances and scoring three goals in the competition. On 15 October 2008, he scored a brace in a 4–0 win at home to Andorra. On 5 September 2009, he scored the match-winning goal in a 1–0 win at home toBelarus. Croatia failed to qualify for the finals after finishing third in their group.[94]
After appearing in all of theirEuro 2012 qualifiers, he was selected to be part of theCroatian squad at the Euro finals in Poland and Ukraine. Croatia were drawn in Group C together withSpain,Italy and theRepublic of Ireland. Rakitić started in all three of Croatiagroup stage matches. After two matches played, Croatia had four points and were facing defending champions Spain inGdańsk. With the game goalless and entering the final half-hour, Rakitić burst into the Spanish penalty area but could not direct his header past goalkeeperIker Casillas after being picked out by a wonderful Luka Modrić pass. It proved to be a costly miss, with Spain'sJesús Navas later scoring an 88th-minute winner to send the Croatians crashing out.[citation needed]
In the2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, on 12 October 2012 Rakitić scored a goal from a free-kick againstMacedonia atPhilip II National Arena to help secure a 1–2 victory for Croatia. Eventually, after theplayoffs, the team qualified for theWorld Cup final stages. They were drawn intoGroup A alongsideBrazil,Mexico andCameroon. Croatia played the opening match against Brazil, which they lost 3–1.[95] In the second match, Croatia won 4–0 against Cameroon,[96] but did not progress as they lost 1–3 against Mexico, with Rakitić providing the assist for the only Croatian goal.[97]
Rakitić scored his first and only goal in theEuro 2016 qualifiers againstBulgaria. He was selected to be part of the Croatian squad at Euro in France. Croatia were drawn inGroup D along with Spain,Czech Republic and Turkey. Rakitić started Croatia's opening game where they secured a narrow victory by one goal against Turkey.[98] On 17 June 2016, Rakitić scored a goal to double Croatia's lead against the Czech Republic, but later the game was turned around when the play was halted briefly after Croatian fans threwflares onto the pitch. Shortly after the restart, the referee rewarded Czech Republic a penalty and the game ended in a 2–2 draw.[99]
After a 2–1 win over defending champions Spain, Croatia topped Group D and went on to facePortugal in the next round. Croatia, however, lost 1–0 after Portugal'sRicardo Quaresma scored a 117th-minute, extra-time winner to send Croatia out of the tournament.[100] Rakitić later stated that "Croatia did not deserve to go out and the best team were going home".[101] Rakitić appeared in all of Croatia's matches and ended the tournament by scoring one goal.
On 4 June 2018, Rakitić was named in Croatia's 23-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[102] On 21 June 2018, Rakitić scored Croatia's third goal in a 3–0 victory overArgentina in their second group stage match of the tournament.[103]
On 1 July, Rakitić scored the winning penalty kick in the penalty shoot-out againstDenmark, as Croatia progressed to thequarter-final.[104] One week later, on 7 July, Rakitić again scored the winning penalty kick in the penalty shoot-out againstRussia, as Croatia progressed to thesemi-final.[105][106] Croatia reached thefinal of the tournament, where they were defeated 4–2 byFrance on 15 July.[107]
Rakitić took part in three out of four matches, celebrating his100th international cap in the historical 0–6 loss to Spain inElche.[108] He missed the deciding fixture against England at theWembley Stadium, that saw the winner go through to thefinals, due to ahamstring injury,[109] as Croatia lost 1–2 and finished at the bottom of the group.[110]
DuringEuro 2020 qualifying, Rakitić took part in only four out of eight games due to injuries and complicated club situation.[111]
On 21 September 2020, theCroatian Football Federation unexpectedly announced that Rakitić retired from the international duty. At the time of his retirement, he had made 106 appearances and scored 15 goals, making him fourth most capped player (afterDarijo Srna,Luka Modrić andStipe Pletikosa) and ninth joint top goalscorer in the history of the national team.[112] He stated:
Saying goodbye to the Croatian national team is the most difficult decision in my career, but I felt that this was the moment when I had to break away and make that decision. I enjoyed every game I played for my homeland, and unforgettable moments from the World Cup will remain among my favourites. I am convinced that we still have a great team with a bright future ahead. I wish my friends and teammates all the luck in the world for the upcoming challenges, and in me they will have the biggest fan.[113]
A talented, intelligent, and hard-working midfielder, Rakitić was known in the media as a well-roundedplaymaker, with good stamina and defensive skills, as well as excellent technique, close control, vision, passing, and an ability to read the game, which enabled him to dictate play in midfield and create chances for teammates after winning back possession, despite his lack of pace. As such, he was capable of both breaking down opposing plays and subsequently transitioning the ball forward to start attacks; he was also capable of scoring goals himself, courtesy of his striking ability from distance, as well as his ability to find and exploit spaces with his movement off the ball and make attacking runs into the box. A versatile player, he was able to play in several midfield positions, and was deployed as awinger on either side of the pitch, as acentral midfielder, as anattacking midfielder, as adefensive midfielder, in abox-to-box role, or even as adeep-lying playmaker.[114][115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122] In 2019, in an interview withBeIN Sports, manager José Mourinho described Rakitić as "one of the most underrated players in the world." He later added: "He is fantastic on all levels; he defends, he compensates for[Lionel] Messi, he runs and he's sensible with the ball at his feet."[67]
In 2022, having already retired from international football but still playing for Sevilla, Rakitić graduated from the UEFA Certificate in Football Management course, led by theUEFA Academy.[123] The program features ten online modules which enhance participants' deeper understanding of the football industry. He is also an ambassador for the UEFA Foundation for Children.
On 18 July 2025, less than two weeks after retiring from professional football, Rakitić announced he had agreed to become the new technical director of Hajduk Split.[124] In this role, he works under the club's sporting directorGoran Vučević, who, like Rakitić, is also a former midfielder of Barcelona, Hajduk and the Croatia national team.
Rakitić married Raquel Mauri in April 2013 inSeville after two years of dating.[125] Rakitić initially met her on the first night he arrived in Seville in the summer of 2011, at a hotel bar, and attributed his fluent learning of Spanish, to his repeated attempts to take her out on a date.[126] In July 2013, their daughter Althea was born.[127] In May 2016, their second daughter, Adara, was born.[128]
Rakitić is apolyglot. He speaks Croatian, German, Spanish, English, French and Italian.[126]
In late June 2016, Rakitić rented a villa on the island ofUgljan, where he arrived on vacation with his family. On 1 July, the house was allegedly attacked by a group of six men who threw rocks at it, breaking several windows and forcing Rakitić and his family to flee the island on a speedboat.[129][130] However,Slobodna Dalmacija reporters investigated the event and discovered that only one window was broken by an unknown perpetrator, and that Rakitić rather calmly left the island hours later, giving autographs to the local fans.[131]
As Rakitić was born and raised inSwitzerland, Rakitić also possessesSwiss citizenship,[132][133][134][135] along withCroatian citizenship by descent, as such Rakitić possessesdual citizenship. Most notably, he represented Switzerland[134] at theUnder-17,Under-19 andUnder-21 teams. In 2007, when he was 19, various people in Switzerland were outraged at his decision to represent Croatia in senior international football.[134] Rakitić said in an interview with Swiss newspaperLe Temps,[136] prior to the2018 FIFA World Cup, that he was proud to play for Switzerland at youth level, as he grew up in Switzerland and that he knew where he came from.[133] Rakitić also remarked in the same interview that he was in favour of representing Croatia in senior international football and was not against Switzerland, and initially called and informed the then-Swiss coachKöbi Kuhn of his decision to select Croatia, before contacting the then-Croatia bossSlaven Bilić.[136][133]
^"Kako se EP prati u Sikirevcima, rodnom selu Ivana Rakitića".Gol.hr (in Croatian). 16 June 2008. Retrieved7 March 2021.Svaka utakmica Hrvatske nogometne reprezentacije na Europskom prvenstvu s posebnim se žarom prati u Sikirevcima, malom šokačkom selu, rodnom mjestu obitelji nogometnog reprezentativca Ivana Rakitića.
^King, Ian; Lugo, Erik Francisco; Stokkermans, Karel; Zlotkowski, Andre (12 September 2013)."2010 World Cup Qualifying". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved30 April 2014.
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