Ivan Rakitic has explained why Argentina legend Lionel Messi is not the ideal captain at FC Barcelona.
The Croatian midfielder, who played with Messi at Barcelona from 2014 to 2020, said the football legend wasn’t the best to tell you “what you had to do” when he was club captain. Messi was given the armband for three seasons, from 2018 to 2021, after the departure of Andres Iniesta, and led his team to the La Liga title in 2019.
“Messi is the best in history and if he put his mind to it he could be the best left back in the world if he wanted to be“, he said via Diario AS. “ Even though he wasn’t always the best captain to tell you what to do, that’s because he was unique and different. »
A veiled criticism
Both players have since left FC Barcelona, with Messi leaving in 2021 to join Ligue 1 and Paris Saint Germain. The Qatar World Cup winner now plays in MLS with Inter Miami, of which he was named captain in 2024.
For his part, Rakitic returned to his former club, Sevilla FC, after leaving Camp Nou. Before becoming one of many players in the twilight of their careers to accept a lucrative offer from the Saudi Pro League, where he represents Al-Shabab.
