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Ivan Rakitic heaped praise on Lionel Messi while reflecting on his time at Barcelona. The Sevilla star claims the Argentine scoring 30+ goals for nine seasons in a row is something that can only be done in a video game.
The Croat has revealed that he was never friends with Lionel Messi outside the pitch while he was at Barcelona, but they definitely had a connection on it.
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In an interview with Goal this week, Ivan Rakitic spoke about his spell at Barcelona and what he thought of Lionel Messi. The Croatian was full of praise for the forward and added that he just wanted to get better every season. He said:
"A player always wants to compete with and enjoy the best players and when it's the best of them all, it's even better. It was an incredible six years, you learn a lot of things. I look at Leo, who has gone nine seasons in a row scoring at least 30 goals, and it seems like a video game. If you do that on the Playstation, they'll tell you that you're messing with people and you know all the tricks.
"You simply have to enjoy it every day. I am proud to have spent so many years with him, to have fought for so many titles and to have won so many titles with him. Sincerely, if I've been able to help him, even a little bit, it's very special. It was very special to share a dressing room with so many great players at Barcelona."
Ivan Rakitic played six seasons with Lionel Messi at Barcelona
Ivan Rakitic won La Liga 4 times during his six seasons at Barcelona and was a key figure for the Catalan side. He also won the Champions League in 2014/15, where he scored the opening goal in the final and made it to the Team of the Tournament as well.
When asked if he knew anything about Lionel Messi's future at Barcelona, the Croatian claimed he had no clue. However, he wants the Argentine to remain at Camp Nou as it would be the best for La Liga.
