Life is no bed of roses for any man and no matter what we achieve or how far we go in our various endeavours, we're always hungry for more because Man is naturally insatiable. Today, while Lionel Messi is considered as the most decorated and successful player of all time by many, the Argentine captain and Five Times Ballon d'or winner appears not too happy, especially if his career ends without winning a major trophy with Argentina. This has been his pain for many years now and this worries are all painted on the marbles of his face anytime he is in the Argentine team. As it stands, Messi is one of the saddest Argentine players currently because of his national team woes and inability to replicate his Barcelona feats for his home country. But am I here to talk about Messi's career sadness? Definitely not! I will be scribbling about one player who is currently feeling estranged, neglected or demoted in Ernesto Valverde's squad. His name is Ivan Rakitic and I presume we are not unaware of his heroics and passion to play for Barcelona. But now, the tides have changed and it's now obvious the Croatian is out of favour under the current Ernesto Valverde's team set up. With the arrival of players of Antonie Grizemann, Arthur Melo and most importantly the £57million signing of De Jong from Ajax, the veteran midfielder's playing time have been hampered and he has found himself warming the bench often.
At best, he comes in as a second half substitution just to fulfill of righteousness. However, he appears unhappy and it's really getting heavy on him. Of recent, the Croatian minced no words in expressing his sadness as regards his current situation at the Camp Nou. This season, he hasn't had much opportunity to get involved, and has only started one match thus far, coming from the bench in the other six appearances he has had. When asked about how he feels about his situation in Barcelona of recent, Rakitic said, “How can I enjoy it? It's like I've said many times, how does my little daughter feel when you take a toy from here? She feels sad. Well, I feel the same. They took my ball. I feel sad. I understand and respect the decisions of the coach or a club or whatever, but I think I've given a lot in these five years and I've been at my peak here." From all indications, it's obvious that he really wants to stay on in Barcelona, but that will only make him continue to play second fiddle to De Jong and Arthur Melo who seem to be doing better than him now. I really like Rakitic, I do enjoy his long range shots which have saved Barcelona many times. But then, the current wave is not in his favour, so what do I advise him?
My Witty Advise To Ivan Rakitic
Well, as a fan who really cares about Ivan Rakitic and love watching him play, I will advise him to let the sleeping dog lie. The handwriting is already on the wall and I don't see Ernesto Valverde giving him more playing time anymore. Rakitic should put this moments behind him, dust his shoes and get ready to pick other top clubs from Europe who have been knocking for his signature. I have heard rumours of Manchester United, Inter Milan and even Juventus waiting in the wind for his signature come January transfer, it will be good he moves on to where he will get more playing time. Though his contract at the Camp Nou will be elapsing in 2021, I don't think Barcelona will hike the price to scare bidders away.
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