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#7 Ivan Rakitic (Croatia)
It's quite astonishing how Ivan Rakitic is overlooked so smoothly when it comes to drawing up a list of the world's best midfielders. The Barcelona man has proven himself more than worthy of the £16.20 million the club paid Sevilla for his services.
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Rakitic has averaged a passing accuracy of 88.5% in all competitions for La Blaugrana. Apart from possessing a keen eye for a pass, the Croat is a skilled set-piece taker and also likes to get involved in layoffs.
He has outsmarted teammates Luka Modric and Andres Iniesta as the better candidate in the passing department, a fact enough to know why he should be valued far more than he actually is.
Rakitic has garnered 5 goals and 5 assists in all competitions in season 2017-18. Alongside Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic, the 30-year-old will be a part of one of the best midfield trios in the World Cup.
