Rakitic: Messi, Suarez & Neymar are the best friends in football
Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic is satisfied with his role at FC Barcelona. His time at the club could hardly have been more positive. The player has explained his feelings on life at Barça in an interview with ‘Jutarnji list’ in his homeland. He spoke, of course, about the relationship between Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
“The surprising thing about Messi, Neymar and Suarez is they are not egotistical. Despite having three different personalities, there is complete harmony [between them]. It may sound like an exaggeration, but they are the best friends in the world, the best friends in the history of football. And I don’t need to say how important that is for us,” he said.
Rakitic also lamented the claims that Barça had lacked respect in their win over Celta by taking an indirect penalty. “We’ve been accused of humiliating our rivals, but we see it in another way. Messi is a genius, a player you don’t see every day. The move was spontaneous, in training we don’t practice these type of things.”
COMPETITION WITH ARDA
Rakitic denied that he’s competing with Arda Turan for a place in Luis Enrique’s starting line-up: “Arda and I are two totally different players. I’ve known him through the Spanish league for a few years now and he’s a fair guy and a player with a lot of talent.
“I don’t complain about [how much I am playing], at the biggest clubs there are always rotations because you’re fighting for three competitions and have to understand you can’t play every game. I have to be ready because the most difficult part of the season is coming.”
Finally, he also praised the work of Luis Enrique, describing his manager as “analytical, methodical and leaving nothing to chance. He explains to every player what he wants from them, each one of use has a concrete objective and he speaks with his players a lot.”
