Ivan Rakitić facts for kids

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Ivan Rakitić

Rakitić with Sevilla in 2020

Personal information

Date of birth

10 March 1988 (age 37)

Place of birth

Rheinfelden, Switzerland

Height

1.84 m

Playing position

Midfielder

Club information

Current club

Hajduk Split

Number

Youth career

1992–1995

Möhlin-Riburg

1995–2005

FC Basel

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

2004

Nordstern Basel

(0)

2005–2006

FC Basel II

(9)

2005–2007

FC Basel

(11)

2007–2011

Schalke 04

(12)

2011–2014

Sevilla

117

(25)

2014–2020

Barcelona

200

(25)

2020–2024

Sevilla

121

(11)

2024

Al-Shabab

(1)

2024–

Hajduk Split

(1)

National team

2003–2004

Switzerland U16

(6)

2004–2005

Switzerland U17

(7)

2005–2006

Switzerland U19

(6)

2006–2007

Switzerland U21

(1)

2009–2010

Croatia U21

(2)

2007–2019

Croatia

106

(15)

Honours


Men's football
Representing Croatia
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up	2018 Russia

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:08, 15 December 2024 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

Ivan Rakitić (born 10 March 1988) is a professional football player. He plays as a midfielder for HNL club Hajduk Split.

Rakitić started his career at Basel in Switzerland. He then moved to Schalke 04 in Germany. In 2011, he joined Sevilla in Spain. He became their captain and led them to win the UEFA Europa League.

In 2014, Rakitić moved to Barcelona. In his first season, he helped them win three major trophies: La Liga, Copa del Rey, and UEFA Champions League. He even scored the first goal in the 2015 Champions League final. He was the first player to win the Europa League and then the Champions League in back-to-back years with different clubs. After winning ten more trophies with Barcelona, he returned to Sevilla in 2020. He won the Europa League again with Sevilla in 2023.

Ivan Rakitić was born in Switzerland to Croatian parents. He played for Switzerland's youth teams. However, he chose to play for the Croatia national team as an adult. He played for Croatia in major tournaments like the Euro 2008, 2012, 2016, and the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup. In the 2018 World Cup, Croatia reached the final. He retired from international football in 2020 after playing 106 games for Croatia.

Early Life and Football Start

Ivan Rakitić was born in Rheinfelden, Switzerland. His parents were Croats. He grew up in Möhlin. Both his father and older brother were also football players.

When he was 16, big European clubs like Arsenal noticed his talent. But he and his family decided he should stay at Basel. This allowed him to play more often in a smaller league.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Basel

Rakitić made his first team debut for Basel in September 2005. He played in a UEFA Cup match. He became a regular player in his second season. He scored 11 goals in 33 games.

He was named the best young player of the 2006–07 Swiss Super League season. He also won the Swiss Goal of the Year award for a great goal he scored.

Moving to Schalke 04

Rakitić with Schalke 04 in 2008

After playing well as a teenager, Rakitić joined German club Schalke 04 in June 2007. He joined for €5 million.

He scored his first goal for Schalke in a cup match. He also scored his first Bundesliga goal in his first league game for the club. Three days later, he played his first UEFA Champions League game. He helped Schalke reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League that season. He finished his first Bundesliga season with 3 goals and 10 assists.

Time at Sevilla

First Spell (2011–2014)

On 28 January 2011, Rakitić signed with Spanish club Sevilla. He quickly became a key player. He scored five goals in his first half-season with Sevilla.

In the 2012–13 La Liga season, Rakitić became even more important. He scored 12 goals and made 10 assists. He was known for creating many chances for his team.

Rakitić playing for Sevilla in 2014

At the start of the 2013–14 La Liga season, coach Unai Emery made Rakitić the new Sevilla captain. He played very well, scoring and assisting many goals. He scored two goals against Real Madrid in a 7–3 loss. His great performances earned him the La Liga Player of the Month award in January 2014.

Rakitić was the "man of the match" when Sevilla won the 2014 UEFA Europa League Final against Benfica. He was the first captain to win this award and lead his team to victory in the Europa League final. He was also chosen for the UEFA Europa League Team of the Season. He ended the season with 15 goals and 17 assists.

Playing for Barcelona

Winning the Treble (2014–15)

Rakitić training with Barcelona in 2014

On 16 June 2014, Rakitić signed a five-year contract with Barcelona. He made his official debut on 24 August. His first goal for Barcelona was a great shot from outside the penalty area.

On 6 June 2015, Rakitić scored the first goal in the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final against Juventus. Barcelona won 3–1. This win meant Barcelona became the first club to win the treble (domestic league, domestic cup, and European Cup) twice. Rakitić was again included in the La Liga and Champions League Teams of the Season.

More Success (2015–2019)

On 11 August 2015, Rakitić helped Barcelona win the 2015 UEFA Super Cup against his old club Sevilla. In October, he was named Croatian Footballer of the Year 2015. He also scored two goals in a Champions League group stage match against BATE Borisov.

Rakitić playing for Barcelona in 2019

On 23 April 2017, Rakitić scored a goal in a 3–2 win against Real Madrid in El Clásico. In September 2017, he scored against Juventus in the Champions League. In December 2018, his goal against Tottenham Hotspur was named the Goal of the Group Stage by fans. In March 2019, he scored the only goal in another match against Real Madrid.

Final Season at Barcelona (2019–20)

In his last season at Barcelona, Rakitić played less often. On 14 June 2020, he played his 300th game for Barcelona. He scored his first goal of the season on 23 June, helping Barcelona win 1–0. After Barcelona's coach changed, Rakitić was told he was not part of the new plans. He left the club having played more games for Barcelona than any other non-Spanish European player.

Return to Sevilla

On 1 September 2020, Rakitić returned to Sevilla on a four-year contract. He played his first game back against Bayern Munich in the 2020 UEFA Super Cup. He scored his first goal since returning three days later against Cádiz. In February 2021, he scored against his former club Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final.

On 23 August 2021, Rakitić played his 200th match for Sevilla. On 31 May 2023, he won his second UEFA Europa League trophy with Sevilla.

Short Time at Al-Shabab

On 30 January 2024, Rakitić moved to Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab.

Joining Hajduk Split

On 20 July 2024, Rakitić announced he was leaving Al-Shabab. He joined Hajduk Split in his home country of Croatia on a free transfer.

International Career

Rakitić played for Switzerland's youth teams (Under-17, Under-19, and Under-21). However, he decided to play for the Croatia national team as an adult. He made his debut for Croatia on 8 September 2007. In his second game, he scored his first international goal against Andorra.

Euro 2008 and World Cup Qualifiers

In May 2008, he joined Croatia's squad for the Euro 2008 tournament. He was one of the youngest players there. He helped Croatia win against Germany. Croatia reached the quarter-finals but lost to Turkey in a penalty shootout. Rakitić continued to play regularly for Croatia in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, scoring three goals.

Euro 2012

Rakitić playing for Croatia in 2013

Rakitić was part of the Croatian squad for the Euro 2012 finals. Croatia was in a tough group with Spain and Italy. Rakitić played in all three group matches. Croatia did not make it past the group stage.

2014 World Cup

Croatia qualified for the World Cup final stages. They were in a group with Brazil, Mexico, and Cameroon. Croatia lost to Brazil and Mexico, so they did not move on in the tournament.

Euro 2016

Rakitić was selected for the Euro 2016 tournament in France. Croatia was in Group D with Spain, Czech Republic, and Turkey. Rakitić scored a goal against the Czech Republic. Croatia won their group after beating Spain. However, they lost 1–0 to Portugal in extra time in the next round. Rakitić played in all of Croatia's matches.

2018 World Cup Success

Rakitić training with Croatia in 2018

On 4 June 2018, Rakitić was named in Croatia's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. On 21 June, he scored Croatia's third goal in a 3–0 win over Argentina.

Rakitić scored the winning penalty kicks in two penalty shootouts. First, against Denmark in the round of 16. Then, against Russia in the quarter-final. These wins helped Croatia reach the final of the tournament. Croatia lost 4–2 to France in the final.

Retirement from International Football

On 21 September 2020, Ivan Rakitić announced he was retiring from playing for the Croatian national team. He had played 106 games and scored 15 goals for Croatia. This made him the fourth most capped player in Croatia's history. He said it was a very hard decision, but he felt it was the right time. He wished his teammates good luck for the future.

How He Plays

Ivan Rakitić is known as a smart and hard-working playmaker in midfield. He has good energy and defensive skills. He also has excellent technique, control of the ball, and vision. He can pass the ball well and understands the game, which helps him win the ball back and start attacks.

He can also score goals from far away. He is good at finding open spaces and running into the box to score. He can play in many different midfield positions. In 2019, famous manager José Mourinho called Rakitić "one of the most underrated players in the world." He said Rakitić "defends, he helps [Lionel] Messi, he runs and he's sensible with the ball."

Personal Life

Rakitić married Raquel Mauri in April 2013 in Seville. They met when he first arrived in Seville in 2011. He says he learned Spanish quickly because he kept trying to ask her out! They have two daughters, Althea (born 2013) and Adara (born 2016).

Ivan Rakitić speaks many languages, including Croatian, German, Spanish, English, French, and Italian.

In 2016, there was a small incident at a villa he rented in Croatia. One window was broken, and he left the island calmly.

Since Rakitić was born and grew up in Switzerland, he has both Swiss and Croatian citizenship. He chose to play for Croatia's senior national team. He told a Swiss newspaper that he was proud to play for Switzerland's youth teams because he grew up there. He also said he chose Croatia because it was important to him.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Nordstern Basel	2004–05	2. Liga Interregional	0	0	1	0	—		—		1	0
Basel II	2005–06	1. Liga	21	9	—		—		—		21	9
Basel	2005–06	Swiss Super League	1	0	1	0	1	0	—		3	0
	2006–07	Swiss Super League	33	11	5	0	9	0	—		47	11
	Total		34	11	6	0	10	0	—		50	11
Schalke 04	2007–08	Bundesliga	29	3	3	1	7	0	3	0	42	4
	2008–09		23	1	4	1	7	1	—		34	3
	2009–10		29	7	4	0	—		—		33	7
	2010–11		16	1	4	1	5	0	1	0	26	2
	Total		97	12	15	3	19	1	4	0	135	16
Sevilla	2010–11	La Liga	13	5	1	0	2	0	—		16	5
	2011–12		36	0	3	1	0	0	—		39	1
	2012–13		34	8	8	3	—		—		42	11
	2013–14		34	12	0	0	18	3	—		52	15
	Total		117	25	12	4	20	3	—		149	32
Barcelona	2014–15	La Liga	32	5	7	1	12	2	—		51	8
	2015–16		36	7	6	0	10	2	5	0	57	9
	2016–17		32	8	8	1	9	0	2	0	51	9
	2017–18		35	1	8	2	10	1	2	0	55	4
	2018–19		34	3	7	1	12	1	1	0	54	5
	2019–20		31	1	3	0	7	0	1	0	42	1
	Total		200	25	39	5	60	6	11	0	310	36
Sevilla	2020–21	La Liga	37	4	4	2	8	2	1	0	50	8
	2021–22		35	4	3	0	8	3	—		46	7
	2022–23		31	1	5	1	15	0	—		51	2
	2023–24		18	2	2	0	6	0	1	0	27	2
	Total		121	11	14	3	37	5	2	0	174	19
Al-Shabab	2023–24	Saudi Pro League	8	1	—		—		—		8	1
Hajduk Split	2024–25	HNL	17	1	0	0	3	0	—		20	1
Career total			615	95	87	15	149	15	17	0	868	125

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Croatia	2007	5	1
	2008	11	4
	2009	8	2
	2010	8	1
	2011	6	0
	2012	10	1
	2013	11	0
	2014	10	0
	2015	6	1
	2016	7	3
	2017	6	0
	2018	14	2
	2019	4	0
Total		106	15

Croatia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Rakitić goal.

List of international goals scored by Ivan Rakitić
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	12 September 2007	Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella, Andorra la Vella, Andorra	2	Andorra	6–0	6–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualification
2	20 August 2008	Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia	12	Slovenia	1–1	3–2	Friendly
3	20 August 2008	Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia	12	Slovenia	3–2	3–2	Friendly
4	15 October 2008	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	16	Andorra	1–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	15 October 2008	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	16	Andorra	4–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	11 February 2009	Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest, Romania	17	Romania	1–1	2–1	Friendly
7	5 September 2009	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	21	Belarus	1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	23 May 2010	Gradski Vrt Stadium, Osijek, Croatia	26	Wales	1–0	2–0	Friendly
9	12 October 2012	Philip II National Arena, Skopje, Macedonia	47	Macedonia	2–1	2–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
10	10 October 2015	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	74	Bulgaria	2–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
11	4 June 2016	Stadion Rujevica, Rijeka, Croatia	76	San Marino	7–0	10–0	Friendly
12	17 June 2016	Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne, France	78	Czech Republic	2–0	2–2	UEFA Euro 2016
13	5 September 2016	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	81	Turkey	1–0	1–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
14	27 March 2018	AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States	90	Mexico	1–0	1–0	Friendly
15	21 June 2018	Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia	94	Argentina	3–0	3–0	2018 FIFA World Cup