Ivan Rakitic
Ivan Rakitic was born in Rheinfelden, Aargau, Switzerland on March 10th, 1988 and is the Soccer Player. At the age of 36, Ivan Rakitic biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 36 years old, Ivan Rakitic has this physical status:
Ivan Rakitic (born 10 March 1988) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a central or attacking midfielder for Spanish club Barcelona and also the Croatian national team's vice captain. Rakitic began his career at Basel and spent two seasons with them before being signed by Schalke 04.
He was signed by Sevilla in January 2011 after three-and-a-half seasons in the Bundesliga.
Rakitic was named as the team's captain and captained the team to victory in the UEFA Europa League two years ago.
Barcelona and Sevilla signed an agreement on the transfer of Rakitic in June 2014.
He won the treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey, and UEFA Champions League in his first season with Barça.
He scored the first goal of the 2015 Champions League Final and became the first player to win the Champions League a year after winning the Europa League while playing for two clubs. Rakitic plays for the Croatian national team on international level.
Although naturally a product of Switzerland's youth, Rakitic has promised his international service to his parents' country, Croatia.
He made his Croatia debut in 2007 and has since represented the country at UEFA Euro 2008, UEFA EURO 2012, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, winning a runners-up medal in the latter tournament and receiving over 100 caps.
Early life
Rakiti was born in Rheinfelden, Switzerland, to Croat parents. Luka Rakiti, his father, is a sweep from Croatia, but his mother, Kata (née Papi), is a Bosnian Croat from Ponijevo near ep. He grew up in Möhlin, canton of Aargau. Dejan is his brother and Nikol's sister. Rakiti has a tattoo with his brother's name on his right arm. Rakiti spent his childhood and early career in Switzerland. His father and his older brother were both footballers. His talent was noticed by top European scouts at age 16, but he and his family decided to stay at Basel to ensure he continued playing more often in a smaller league.
Personal life
After two years of dating, Rakiti Mauri married Raquel Mauri in Seville in April 2013. Rakiti first met her in Seville in the summer of 2011, at a hotel bar, and attributed his fluent Spanish learning to his regular attempts to lure her out on a date. Their daughter Althea was born in July 2013. Adara, their second daughter, was born in May 2016.
He speaks Croatian, German, Spanish, English, French, and Italian.
Rakiti rented a villa on the island of Ugljan, where he and his family spent the holidays together in late June 2016. The house was apparently attacked by a group of six men who threw stones at it on July 1st, shattering several windows and causing Rakiti and his family to flee the island on a speed boat. Nevertheless, Slobodna Dalmacija journalists investigated the occurrence and discovered that only one window was broken by an unknown perpetrator, and that Rakiti departed the island just hours later, giving autographs to the local crowd.
Rakiti is also a Swiss citizen, as Rakiti was born and raised in Switzerland, as Rakiti has dual citizenship as well as Croatian citizenship by descent. He notably played for Switzerland in the Under-17, Under-19, and Under-21 teams. Many people in Switzerland were outraged when he decided to represent Croatia in senior international football in 2007. Rakiti claimed in an interview with Swiss newspaper Le Temps that he was proud to play for Switzerland at the youth level, that he knew where he came from. In the same interview, Rakiti remarked that he wanted to represent Croatia in senior international football and not against Switzerland. he also informed then-Swiss coach Köbi Kuhn of his decision to select Croatia before contacting then-Croatia boss Slaven Bili.
Club career
Rakiti made his first-team debut for Basel on September 29, 2005 during the UEFA Cup away match at iroki Brijeg. He had been in the youth teams for a brief time. In Basel's away match against Neuchâtel Xamax on April 15, he made his first Swiss Super League appearance. Despite the fact that these two games were the only ones he played against in Basel during his first professional season, he went on to establish himself as a regular contributor in his second season, scoring 11 goals in 33 Super League appearances. He was also playing nine UEFA cup appearances during this time, as well as winning the Swiss Goal of the Year award for an outstanding goal against St. Gallen on October 22, 2006.
Rakiti was once more wanted by major European clubs after an impressive debut as a youth. He was eventually signed by German side Schalke 04 on June 22, 2007, worth €5 million.
Rakiti made his Schalke debut against Karlsruher SC on July 21 in the Premiere Ligapokal tournament, and later appeared in the remaining two games as Schalke finished as league runners-up. In the first round of the DFB-Pokal, Rakiti scored his first competitive goal for his new club, beating Eintracht Trier 0–9 away.
The new Bundesliga season began on August 10th with a match between champions VfB Stuttgart and Schalke. Rakiti started as a second-half replacement and scored his first Bundesliga goal in less than seven minutes on the field as his team played out a 2–2 draw. In their 1–1 away draw at Bayern Munich on September 15, he made a few impressions by scoring the only goal for Schalke. In the 0–1 home loss to Valencia three days later, Rakiti made his UEFA Champions League debut on his first day. He went on to make seven appearances in the 2007-08 Champions League season, including a strong and memorable midfield appearance in Schalke's home match against Chelsea in the group stage. Due to being caught skipping workouts and participating in late-night partying, he and former teammate Mladen Krstajik were briefly dropped from the squad the night before Schalke's next match against Rosenborg. Rakiti, who helped his team win on penalties over Porto, advance to the quarter-finals for the first time, had to miss both the games against Chelsea due to an ankle injury sustained in training. Schalke was held out of action for a month as a result of his exclusion from the tournament without him.
Rakiti returned from injury shortly after winning a crucial 0–3 victory over VfL Bochum, which made Schalke secure a spot in the upcoming Champions League after he scored a goal and assisted another two others. In the next match against Eintracht Frankfurt, he maintained his form in the series, assisting Mladen Krstaji for the match's only goal, giving Schalke a good home season. He scored 3 goals and ten assists in 29 appearances during his first Bundesliga season. Rakiti played in Schalke's 3–0 victory over Hannover 96, assisting two goals in the first Bundesliga fixture.
Rakiti agreed to a four-and-a-half year with Spanish La Liga club Sevilla for a €2.5 million transfer fee. Rakiti was recalled immediately after his arrival in the team's starting XI, making his debut against Málaga on February 6, 2011. He scored an own-goal in the upcoming match against Racing de Santander, but Sevilla's first goal against Hércules was enough to keep track and scored his first goal for the Sevilla team. Rakiti was forced to miss the last four La Liga games due to a fractured foot. In his first half-season with Sevilla in 2010–11, he scored five goals, beginning in all 13 games after his arrival and before the foot injury.
Rakiti remained a key player on the team in the 2011–12 season. Rakiti was given a different role on the pitch than the one he had the previous season under coach Gregorio Manzano, due to managerial shifts and new tactical plans introduced by new coach Marcelino, who was later replaced by Mchel, but he was mainly deployed as a defensive midfielder; during the season, he was mainly deployed as a defensive midfielder. In the 2011–12 Copa del Rey, he made 39 appearances for the team, six assists, and scored one goal. While playing for Sevilla, Jim Leopold was his first goalless Liga season.
Rakiti's debut in the 2012-13 La Liga season began with an assist against Getafe in the first match. In a 1–0 victory over Real Madrid on September 12, he gave Piotr Trochowski another assist. On Matchday 5 against Deportivo de La Corua, he scored his first goal of the season. In the first 20 minutes of Seville's second derby of the season against cross-city rivals Real Betis, Rakiti scored two goals. Given that he had also scored in Sevilla's first Sevilla derby of the season, Sevilla defeated Sevilla 5–1. Rakiti scored two goals to his total tally during his match against Real Sociedad, but the second one was a own goal, tying the game 1–1 after he scored the first goal giving his team a 1–0 lead. He appeared on the team for a total of 42 games and scored 12 goals, three of whom were in the Copa del Rey. He also contributed ten league assists during the season. Rakiti had 100 percent in total, the highest number among Europe's top five players this season, according to statistics, who ranked fourth.
Unai Emery, the coach, appointed Rakiti as the new Sevilla captain at the start of the 2013-14 La Liga season. He was one of the league's most popular players since the start of the season, scoring the first goal and assisting for the second in a 3–2 draw against Barcelona on September 14th. In two games of September, he scored two goals in a 1–4 away victory over Rayo Vallecano and assisted with the draw 1-1 goal against Real Sociedad. Rakiti scored a goal in a 2–0 home win over SC Freiburg in the final three games of October, a 7–3 loss at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium against Real Madrid. He was able to assist in the away 1–3 victory over Espanyol and two more in a 4–0 home victory over Sevilla rivals Betis in the third and fourth games of November. He played in a 1–2 away victory over Villarreal in December's last game of the season, as well as other international clubs' attention. He scored in a 3–0 home win over Getafe in the first game of the 2014 calendar year. He scored two more La Liga goals for Sevilla against Atlético Madrid and Levante in January, as well as missing a penalty kick in the latter game. Since his success, he was named La Liga Player of the Month.
Rakiti's solid play continued in the season, with many assists and goals from February to May, with two assists in the Europa League 2–2 away draw against Maribor, an assist in the 2–1 home win over Real Madrid and a goal against Porto in a 4–1 home victory. He also played in the semi-finals 2–0 victory over Valencia, which the team won on aggregate (3–3), thus qualifying for the Europa League Final. Sevilla defeated Benfica 4-2 on penalties at Juventus Stadium in Turin, man of the match. He was the first person to captain a team to triumph in the UEFA Europa League Final, as well as select the official man of the match award. He was selected in the UEFA Europa League Team of the Season. Rakiti was selected in La Liga's first XI and team of the season by the Spanish national football league association in both first and team of the season. He finished the season with 15 goals and 17 assists. Rakiti earned the Fair Play Award and was named for Best Midfielder at the Barcelona International Film Awards, a distinction that was eventually given to Barcelona's Andrés Iniesta.
Barcelona signed Rakiti on a five-year contract on June 16, 2014, which starts on July 1. Rakiti was given the squad number 4 on his arrival. In a pre-season friendly match against French club Nice on August 2nd, he made his debut for the team as a second-half replacement for Sergi Roberto. Rakiti first assists for Barça during a pre-season friendly against HJK Helsinki, helping twice in the 6–0 victory. In the first match of the new Liga season, Barcelona made his official debut against Elche on August 24. Rakiti beat Elche's defense forward Munir by a long ball over the top of the net just moments after halftime, making it 2–0 for Barcelona.
In a 0–5 away win over Levante on September 21, Rakiti's first goal for Barcelona came from outside the penalty zone. In a 6–0 victory over Camp Nou last week, Rakiti had a cross against Granada for his second goal of the season. In a 1–0 victory over England champions Manchester City in the second leg of Camp Nou on March 18, Rakiti scored his first Champions League goal of his career.
Rakiti scored the opening goal in a 3-1 victory over Italian champions Juventus in the 2015 UEFA Champions League final in Berlin's Olympiastadion, the second Croat to score in a Champions League final after Mario Manda in 2013. Barcelona became the first club in history to win the treble of domestic league, domestic cup, and European Cup twice. Rakiti was named in the La Liga and European teams of the season for the second year in a row.
Barcelona won the 2015 UEFA Super Cup in Tbilisi after playing the full 120 minutes on August 11, 2015, beating Sevilla 5–4 to take the 2015 UEFA Super Cup in Tbilisi. In October, he was named Croatian Footballer of the Year 2015. Barcelona defeated BATE Borisov 2–0 on October 20, 2013 as an 18th-minute replacement for Sergi Roberto. He was named Croatian Sportsman of the Year 2015 in December. Barcelona defeated Betis 0–2 on April 30th, leaving them at the top of the Liga table. Rakiti scored the opener against Betis on April 30.
In a 3–2 away victory over Real Madrid in El Clásico on April 23, 2017, Rakiti scored his second goal.
Barcelona defeated the previous season's Italian champions 3–0 at home on September 12th, 2017–18 UEFA Champions League. Rakiti scored a goal against Juventus in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League.
In a Champions League group stage match against Tottenham Hotspur on December 3, 2018, he scored his second Barça goal in the 4–2 victory. Fans later designated the strike as the Goal of the Group Stage.
Rakiti scored his only goal of the match against Real Madrid on March 2nd, after which José Mourinho rated him as "one of the top players in the country" after which José Mourinho named him as "one of the world's most underrated players."
Following the arrival of Frenkie de Jong, Rakiti's playing time was drastically reduced during the 2019-20 season, and his role in the team was heavily reduced. "I want to play, not just walking around Barcelona and the sea," the player said in October 2019. I talked to the people in the club, and everyone knew of the other options available, so it wasn't a mystery."
Rakiti, the club's first game after the COVID-19 pandemic, scored his 300th official game in Barcelona's jersey on June 13, defeating Mallorca 4–0. In a 1–0 victory over Athletic Bilbao on June 23, he scored his first goal of the season, securing crucial three points in the championship race. After Barcelona lost 8-2 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals on August 14th, and coach Quique Setién was fired, Rakiti informed Rakiti that he was not part of his new season's strategy, including colleagues Luis Suárez, Arturo Vidal, and Samuel Umtiti. Rakiti had more appearances for the club at the time than any other European non-Spanish player in history.
Rakiti joined Sevilla on a four-year contract, marking the club's first return to the club after six years for a nominal €1.5 million fee.
He played his first game for Sevilla since coming back, against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Super Cup in Budapest on September 24th. After being tackled by David Alaba, Lucas Ocampos converted, he won a penalty; however, Bayern came from behind to win the game 2–1 after extra time. Sevilla defeated Cádiz 3–1. He scored his first goal since returning to action three days later. He scored a goal in the Copa del Rey semi-finals on February 10, 2021, defeating Barcelona's former club Barcelona by 2–0.
Rakiti played his jubile 200th match for Sevilla on August 23, 2021, defeating Getafe 1–0.
International career
Rakiti's first international experience came with the Switzerland under-17, under-19, and under-21 national teams, but the country's senior team accepted the call-up by Croatian national team coach Slaven Bili. On September 8, 2007, Croatia's full international debut against Estonia in Zagreb, where the fans applauded as a replacement. In Croatia's second appearance for the team in his first international goal against Andorra on September 12, 2007, he scored his first international goal for the team. He finished the year 2007 with five senior international caps to his name, four of whom were in the highly acclaimed Euro 2008 qualifying effort.
He joined Croatia's squad for the Euro 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland, where he was the second youngest player in the tournament. In their 2–1 victory, he was in his first appearance at the tournament as a starter against Germany and eventually scored a shot that ricocheted off the wall and allowed teammate Ivica Oli to score the second goal. With his teammates Luka Modri and Niko Kranjar, he created a lauded trio of Croatian attacking midfielders. Despite having a solid game against Turkey in the quarter-finals of the tournament, Rakiti lost one of the three crucial penalties in the shootout, resulting in the victory for Turkey.
Rakiti continued to play regularly for Croatia during their disappointing qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, earning ten appearances and scoring three goals in the tournament. In a 4–0 victory over Andorra at home on October 15, he scored a brace. In a 1–0 victory over Belarus at home on Friday, he scored the match-winning goal. After finishing third in their group, Croatia was unable to qualify for the finals.
After appearing in all of their Euro 2012 qualifiers, he was selected to join the Croatian squad in the Euro finals in Poland and Ukraine. Croatia was part of Group C, as well as Spain, Italy, and the Republic of Ireland. In all three of Croatia's group stage games, Rakiti got off to a good start. Croatia had four points after two matches were played and was facing defending champions Spain in Gda's south. Rakiti burst into the Spanish penalty area after being picked out by a spectacular Luka Modri pass. It was a costly mistake, with Jes Navas of Spain scoring an 88th-minute winner and sending the Croatians crashing out.
Rakiti scored a goal against Macedonia at Philip II National Arena on October 12 to help Croatia win by 12-0. The team eventually qualified for the World Cup finals after the playoffs. They were drawn into Group A, along with Brazil, Mexico, and Cameroon. Croatia lost 3–1 in the first match against Brazil. Croatia defeated Cameroon 4–0 in the second round, but not progress as they lost 1–3 against Mexico, with Rakiti as the point for Croatia's only goal.
In the Euro 2016 qualifiers against Bulgaria, Rakiti scored his first and only goal. He was selected to be a member of the Croatian squad at Euro 2016 in France. Croatia, Spain, Czech Republic, and Turkey were all included in Group D, as did Spain, Czech Republic, and Turkey. Rakiti got off to a narrow victory over Turkey in Croatia's first game. Rakiti scored a goal to double Croatia's lead over the Czech Republic on June 17, but the game was called off briefly after Croatian fans threw flares onto the pitch. The referee gave the Czech Republic a penalty shortly after the restart, and the game ended in a 2–2 draw.
Croatia defeated Spain 2–1 in Group D and then advanced to face Portugal in the next round after defeating them in the previous two years. Croatia, on the other hand, lost 1–0 after Portugal's Rigo Quaresma scored a 117th-minute extra-time champion, knocking Croatia out of the tournament. "Croatia did not deserve to go out and the best team was going home," Rakiti said later. Rakiti played in all of Croatia's games and pulled the tournament by scoring one goal.
Rakiti was selected in Croatia's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia on June 4th. Croatia defeated Argentina 3–0 in their second group stage match of the tournament on June 21, 2018. Rakiti scored Croatia's third goal in a 3–0 win over Argentina on June 21.
Croatia advanced to the quarter-finals on July 1st, with Rakiti scoring the winning penalty kick against Denmark. Croatia advanced to the semi-finals one week after Rakiti made the winning penalty kick in the penalty shoot-out against Russia on July 7th. Croatia advanced to the final of the tournament, where they were defeated 4–2 by France on July 15th.
Croatia was included in the group with Spain and England for the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League.
In Elche's historic 0–6 loss to Spain, Rakiti played in three out of four matches, honoring his 100th international cap. Croatia lost 1–2 and finished at the bottom of the table, with the winner missing the deciding match against England due to a hamstring injury.
Rakiti played in just four out of eight games due to injuries and a tumultuous club situation during Euro 2020 qualifying.
Rakiti resigned from international service on September 21, 2020, according to the Croatian Football Federation unexpectedly. He had played 106 games and scored 15 goals, making him his fourth mostcapped player (after Darijo Srna, Luka Modri, and Stipe Pletikosa) and ninth joint top goalscorer in the national team's history.