Ivan Rakitic has rejoined Sevilla, six years after leaving the club to move to Barcelona. With his Camp Nou career tailing off towards the end, it’s a good move for the Croatian who is still young enough to make a real impact back in Seville.
? @ivanrakitic returns home, he is a #SevillaFC player once again! ???♂️
Welcome back, Ivan! ??️#vamosmiSevilla #WeareSevilla
— Sevilla FC (Europa League Champions ?) (@SevillaFC_ENG) September 1, 2020
DONE DEAL – Sevilla sign Ivan Rakitic
- Previous Club: Barcelona
- Fee: €1.5 million
- Contract Expiry: 30th June 2024
- Position: Central Midfielder
- Age: 32
- 2019/20 LaLiga Stats: 31 Appearances | 1 Goal | 3 Assists
Ivan Rakitic will look back on his Barcelona career with mixed feelings. Few could have predicted he would slot into such a star-studded midfield quite so seamlessly when he joined the club in 2014. He played a major role as Barcelona won the treble in his first season as Rakitic was named in the LaLiga team of the year for the second season in a row.
The Croatian would go on to win 13 major trophies in all at Barcelona, although his popularity has never quite recovered to the peaks of that first season. Rakitic was angered by attempts the club made to force him out in the summer of 2019 and he didn’t produce anything like his best football during the 2019/20 season when he was regularly left out of the team.
All in all, this feels like a good move for all involved. Barcelona will ease some pressure on their wage bill by letting Rakitic go while Sevilla will feel they’ve got him on the cheap with the initial fee just €1.5 million. There are believed to be significant add-ons that could see Sevilla fork out close to €10 million if his return to Andalusia is a successful one.
A Family Affair
Feliz aniversario amor❤️?
9 años a tu lado, 9 años llenos de amor y felicidad!!! Gracias por todos los momentos vividos, nunca olvidaré el día de nuestro primer beso ? está historia de amor va a por mucho más ??? Te amo muchísimo #lafamiliaunidajamásserávencida #ivanrakitic pic.twitter.com/VHigwzxbLA— Ivan Rakitic (@ivanrakitic) August 22, 2020
Ivan Rakitic has always had his heart set on returning to Sevilla at some point despite regular interest from England and Italy. He met and married his Andalusian partner Raquel during his initial three and a half year stint in Seville and with his wife’s family being from the city, the pair were always keen to return with their two young children.
The midfielder is perhaps not quite operating on the level that initially saw him earn that glamour move to Camp Nou in 2014. However he rejoins a more experienced player having played on the very biggest stage for both club and country. He will be bring many qualities to the table as Sevilla prepare for a return to the Champions League in 2020/21.
