Former FC Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has shared just how good Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi really is having spent some years playing with the Argentine.
The 36-year-old playmaker spent six years in Catalonia with Messi with the pair winning a UEFA Champions League and four La Liga titles, with Rakitic since moving back to Sevilla and more recently to Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia.
A player who Inter Miami were reportedly interested in signing, Rakitic is a player who knows Messi better than most, with the pair having a fantastic relationship on the pitch during one of Barcelona’s most successful periods.
And the former Croatian international has now shared what Messi was actually like to play with.
Rakitic hails Inter Miami’s Messi as ‘the best’ after Barcelona success
Speaking on the ARLS podcast, Rakitic lauded Messi as ‘the best’ he’s ever played with, with the midfielder going as far to say that the Argentine could have flourished in every position if he put his mind to it.
Rakitic said when asked to describe what it was like playing with Messi during their time at Barcelona: “Messi is the best, not only now but in the history of football. It was a pleasure getting to play with him for all those years.
“Of course, he does some work [in training], but I believe that he was touched by god in a special way. If he wanted to play left-back, he would be the best left-back ever. If he wanted to play as a goalkeeper, even though he is not tall, the truth is that he can choose the position he wants.
“In games, it’s different, but when you work with him day-by-day, you can really tell just how good he is, because how he receives the ball and how he already knows what’s going on behind him, his movements, it’s so easy, his finishing, he makes it look so easy. It’s not like he’s even shooting, it’s like he’s passing it into the goal.”
Rakitic could have thrived in MLS alongside Messi and friends
Inter Miami could have been a dream destination for Rakitic this year with Messi and former Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba all enjoying life in Florida.
Yet the pull of Saudi Arabia is proving too strong for some players, with Rakitic one of many big-name stars who have swapped Europe for the Middle East in what will likely be the final move of the Croatian’s career.
Indeed, Inter Miami and a reunion with Messi and fellow Barcelona icons would have been a neat end to Rakitic’s time as a player, and the veteran playmaker could have thrived in MLS alongside his former teammates in the USA.