Rakitic makes the toughest decision ... "Bye, Croatia"
Midfielder Ivan Rakitic made the "toughest decision" in his career, after ending his career with the Croatian national team, which he reached with him in the summer of 2018 to the World Cup final for the first time in its history, according to what was announced Monday by the local association of the game.
The Croatian Federation quoted Rakitic, who returned this season to his former club Sevilla, after leaving him in 2014 to defend the colors of the Catalan giants Barcelona, as saying, "Bidding farewell to Croatia was the most difficult decision he made in my career. But I felt that the time has come ... to make a decision."
The 32-year-old did not reveal the reason for his international retirement, but confirmed that he "enjoyed every match I played with my country, and the unforgettable moments from the World Cup (2018) will remain among the favorite memories of my life."
Rakitic defended the colors of his country in 106 matches, the first of which was in 2007, scoring 15 goals.
The Croatian Football Association considered that Rakitic was one of the main players in the team's journey towards the World Cup in Russia 2018, where Croatia lost the final to France 2-4.
Al-Ittihad mentioned the two penalty kicks that they scored against Denmark and Russia in the price and quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup, paving the way for his country to reach the World Cup final for the first time in its history.
The coach of the national team, Zlatko Dalic, revealed that he had spoken with Rakitic about his decision, indicating that he regretted this decision but respected it, and said in a statement: "Ivan had a wonderful career in the national team and no one will forget his coldness during the decisive penalty shootout in the World Cup."
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