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Parshva Shah

Missing out on Cristiano Ronaldo partnership is the big 'regret' of Ivan Rakitic's career as ex-Barcelona star reveals personal call from Real Madrid legend

Ivan Rakitic has revealed the "biggest regret of his career" is the decision to pass up the chance to team up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus. The former Croatian midfielder, who enjoyed successful spells with Sevilla and Barcelona during the era when the Portuguese icon was starring for Real Madrid, says Ronaldo personally called him in 2019 in an attempt to lure him to Italy – an offer he ultimately had to decline.

  • Rakitic and Ronaldo: Opponents in La Liga

    Ronaldo arrived at Real Madrid as a world-beater from Manchester United in the summer of 2009. A year later, Rakitic, who was just 22 at the time, was signed by Sevilla after impressing at Schalke in Bundesliga. The duo spent eight seasons as opponents, with Rakitic remaining at Sevilla until 2014 before joining Ronaldo and Madrid's arch-rivals Barcelona. The Portuguese forward left Madrid and La Liga in 2018, joining Serie A giants Juventus. 

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    Rakitic reveals Ronaldo called him to join him at Juventus

    In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Rakitic expressed his regret on not sharing the dressing room with Ronaldo. He said: "Ronaldo called me in 2019 to convince me [to join Juventus]. I would have liked to play in Serie A; it's the regret of my career. I have great admiration for Italian football and the lifestyle."

    "[The move never happened] partly because the price tag was too high, partly because I was still at Barcelona. I was a lucky man, I played at Barca and then returned to Sevilla and Hajduk. It would have been fascinating, but it was nice anyway."

  • Different career paths

    Ronaldo continued to dominate Serie A, although without much collective success, scoring over 100 goals in his three seasons in Turin. He returned to Manchester United in 2021, before heading to the Middle East by signing for Saudi giants Al-Nassr in January 2023. 

    On the contrary, Rakitic continued to weave his magic from midfield in Spain, remaining with the Catalans until 2020 before returning to former side Sevilla, much like Ronaldo did with his return to Old Trafford. A short spell at Saudi Pro League's Al-Shabab was followed by a return to Croatia, where he spent one season at Hajduk Split before announcing his retirement from the sport in July. 

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    What next for Ronaldo and Rakitic?

    While Rakitic has taken on a sporting leadership role at Croatian giants Hajduk Split along with Goran Vucevic, Ronaldo continues to be the goal scoring machine as he eyes the record of 1,000 career goals as well as the elusive World Cup glory with Portugal at next year's showpiece event in North America.