Former Croatian midfielder renowned for his successful spells at Barcelona and Sevilla, Ivan Rakitic, has officially hung up his boots at the age of 37.
Rakitic shared an emotional farewell on social media, reflecting on his journey in the game.
“Football, you gave me more than I ever dreamed of. You gave me friends, emotions, joy and tears,” he wrote in a heartfelt letter.
“Now it’s time to say goodbye. Because even if I walk away from you, I know you’ll never walk away from me. Thank you, football. For everything.”
The Swiss-born playmaker launched his professional career at Basel before moving to the Bundesliga with Schalke.
He went on to earn 106 caps for Croatia, playing a pivotal role in their run to the 2018 FIFA World Cup final, where they finished as runners-up to France.
During his club career, Rakitic was part of Barcelona’s historic treble-winning squad in 2015 and helped Sevilla to two Europa League titles.
His final seasons saw him feature briefly for Al Shabab in Saudi Arabia, before closing out his career with Croatian side Hajduk Split.