From Saudi Arabia, Ivan Rakitic reminisced about his time as a Barcelona player, where he played alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar. In an appearance on the podcast “MicsPod,” the Croatian made it clear that, even though he considers the Argentine as the greatest of all time, he is a huge fan of the Brazilian.
“I am Neymar’s biggest fan, he will always be on my team. I love that guy,” said the 36-year-old midfielder, who was asked if he preferred Ney over Leo: “Neymar is my favorite player. But of course, Messi is the best player in the history of football.”
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Rakitic shared the field with the former Santos player at Camp Nou between 2014 and 2017, the year the forward joined Paris Saint-Germain for a record-breaking fee.
“He makes the difference. He makes football look like a dance. That joy… That’s why I posted a message on Instagram telling him never to lose his joy,” added the midfielder.
🗣️ Rakitic: “Neymar is my favorite player ever, he’s always in my team but Messi is the best in the history of football ofc.” pic.twitter.com/wsUOJUJL89
— Barça Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) April 25, 2024
Rakitic puts Neymar on another level
Although he was teammates with countless figures, Rakitic made it clear that none of them left such a great impression on him as Neymar did.
“I had the opportunity to play with some of the biggest stars in football. He is different. He is so kind, so open. I am very happy that he has had the career he has had. I think he still has many things to do in his career,” Rakitic said.
The veteran player followed in the footsteps of the Brazilian by joining the Saudi Professional League, where Rakitic now plays for Al-Shabab. Neymar, on the other hand, played five games for Al-Hilal before suffering a serious knee injury in October with the Brazilian national team.
Zagallo documentary by Sambafoot
Sambafoot Series has launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo’ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays – as a player and as a coach. The first three episodes are available in Sambafoot’s Youtube channel and the series will receive weekly releases to tell this legend’s life story.
