At the start of this season, as Barcelona’s media officer tried to corral reluctant players into speaking to the media, one had a different approach.
New midfield signing Ivan Rakitic told the press officer that he would always be willing to do media duties.
The Croat, who was born in Switzerland and speaks Spanish with an Andalusian accent after four years at Sevilla, speaks four languages including English.
He also wears No 4, the most important at Camp Nou, the number worn by Pep Guardiola and Ronald Koeman.
Rakitic, 27 has been a success since his €18 million (Dh70.2m) transfer from Sevilla, a deal which included the loan of striker Denis Suarez.
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A versatile midfielder, he plays as a holding midfielder for Croatia and was most effective as an attacking midfielder in Sevilla – his 15 goals last season were crucial as he helped his side win the Europa League.
As club captain, Rakitic sealed his best season yet with a man-of-the-match performance in the final against Benfica and Barca made their move soon after before he represented Croatia at last year’s World Cup.
Though raised in Switzerland, a country he represented at Under 21 level, he chose to play for Croatia, the country of his former footballer father, and has 66 caps.
For Barca, he has usually played on the left of a midfield three, but he can also play in the defensive midfield role.
He has featured in 25 of the Catalans’ 27 league matches and started all but their first Uefa Champions League game.
Playing deeper than he did at Sevilla, his goals have been sacrificed (though he has still registered more shots than any player outside the attackers) and he has made eight assists to the heralded strikers ahead of him.
Experienced coach Miguel Angel Lotina, who has managed six top-flight Spanish clubs during his career, was one of many pundits not so happy with his move to Barcelona.
“Rakitic was the king of Sevilla, now he’s the slave at Barcelona,” the 57-year-old Spaniard said recently. This was not meant as a slur, more a reference to the work he ably carries out in the Barca midfield.
With Sergio Busquets recovering from an ankle injury which is expected to keep him out until the end of the month, Rakitic has switched position and is expected to start at home to both Manchester City on Wednesday and Real Madrid on Sunday in front of the defence, though Javier Mascherano is another option.
“I’ve already trained in that position this season. I can play there as I did for my country last season,” said Rakitic in one of his regular chats with the media last week.
He is loving life at the club he calls “the best in world” – a club where he claims that, when asked if he wanted to sign for Barca, he said “I do” with the same conviction as he did when making the same vow to his Andalusian wife at their wedding.
Rakitic has been a key performer as Barca have returned to the top of the Primera Liga, with nine wins in 10 league matches since a defeat at Real Sociedad on January 4, which signalled the dismissal of sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta, the man who signed him.
The signing represented another rise in a career which started at Basel in 2005. A move to Schalke followed in 2007, the German team reaching the Champions League quarter-finals against Barcelona in his first season. Unfortunately he missed both games with injury.
Rakitic did so well for Schalke, helping in their campaign to the 2011 Champions League semi-finals, that Sevilla signed him in that year’s January transfer window.
He had played in all six group games as Schalke defeated Benfica and Lyon, but did not get the chance to play in the last 16 that season.
On Wednesday against City, he should get that chance.
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