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da esoccer bet： It has been quite the journey for the 31-year-old Croatian sensation in Catalonia.
Ivan Rakitić arrived in 2014 from Sevilla and has since played a total of 269 games for Barcelona. He was a huge part of their success back in 2015 when they won the treble with Luis Enrique, scoring in the final against Juventus, and his role and influence in the team only got stronger with the appointment of Ernesto Valverde two campaigns ago.
Rakitić was among the players with the most minutes for Blaugrana and was simply undroppable throughout the past two seasons.
But while he seemed irreplaceable for the coach and the board, who even turned down a rather lucrative offer from Paris Saint-Germain last year and decided to keep him instead, the tide seems to be turning and Rakitić is once again a hot topic in Catalonia.
With the arrival of some new faces in Frenkie de Jong, the promotion of Sergi Roberto to midfield and youngsters from La Masia like Carles Alena and Riqui Puig, Rakitić’s importance is diminishing with each passing day.
How do we know that? Well, the proof is already clear on the table. In the last two games, Rakitić only spent 45 minutes on the pitch as he failed to start in either bout against Athletic Bilbao or Real Betis.
Is it the case of changing of the guard or has Valverde finally accepted that the 31-year-old has to give way to the younger generations? Either way, he was right to do it. There’s no denying the Croatian midfielder has been one of the best servants to the club in the past years since his arrival from Andalusia, but there comes a time in everyone’s career when you have to give the torch to the younger crop of players.
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The core of Barcelona’s team is getting on: Rakitić is 31, same as Sergio Busquets, and in that same group of players over the age of 30 are also Luis Suarez, Gerrard Pique, Jordi Alba, Arturo Vidal and, most importantly, Lionel Messi. Barcelona pride themselves on fast-paced, possession-based and dominant football but that style is hardly sustainable with an old core of players.
And looking strictly at the players who could be eligible for a transfer and still lucrative in the financial sense, Rakitić is a viable option. Of course, one could argue that Vidal is in a similar position but the difference is that the Chilean offers a unique set of skills, hunger and determination that no other Barcelona player can actually match.
He might be over 30 years old but he is very much the non-stopping, aggressive and attacking minded type of midfielder that the Catalans are missing. He is also still fresh in the squad, only entering his second year with the team and it would seem rather peculiar if he was discarded right away after a good first season.
Rakitić, on the other hand, is nearing his “expiration date” and Barcelona should cash in while there’s still relative interest in his services. He is undoubtedly still a top player who could arguably fit into any squad in the top five leagues but at Barcelona, he’s become expendable.
This makes even more sense when we take into account their tough financial situation, which was only worsened by the latest expensive purchases and the reported chasing of Neymar.
And finally, the opinion of the fans and the public outbursts that Barcelona have to face every time Rakitić plays a game should be a big enough sign for the player that he is no longer wanted at the club. Of course, it has to be said that he doesn’t deserve all those insults and bashing coming from countless Cules on social media but it has come to the point where it just might be in his best interest to leave.
If the early signs are anything to go by, he won’t get much game time if he stays and the fans are unlikely to have a change of heart, so he should make use of the interest that’s reportedly still there.
Once, he was hailed as one of Barcelona’s best signings in the history by none other than the legendary Xavi Hernandez but now is the right time for another talent to take the spotlight and for Rakitić to move on.
It was great while it lasted and he would most likely have something to offer even if he did decide to stay, but at the end of the day he has to consider what’s in everyone’s best interest.
As it stands right now, saying goodbye would be exactly that.
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