“I am convinced that Leo (Messi), Luis, Ney, Busi, Andrés, Piqué and the rest of us would like to give each one of us a good slap in the face because I have said it many times with all my respect: ‘We have let ourselves down’. That’s why I said before that the figure of Xavi in that first season was very important… Without him, all those details he had under control slipped through our fingers along the way… we could have won three or four Champions League titles,” Ivan Rakitic said, via Diario Sport.

Xavi Hernandez’s departure from FC Barcelona at the end of the 2014-15 season marked a turning point for the club’s dominance. He joined Al-Sadd in Qatar, where he played four more seasons before retiring. After losing him, Barcelona struggled to maintain control in midfield, despite signing players like Arthur Melo and Philippe Coutinho to fill the gap. Unfortunately, neither player met expectations, leaving the team directionless for several seasons.

When did FC Barcelona’s Champions League decline start?

Following Neymar’s departure in 2017, Barcelona’s competitiveness in the UEFA Champions League began to decline. Under head coach Ernesto Valverde, the team struggled to recapture its former dominance, suffering significant setbacks such as the shocking defeat to AS Roma in 2018 and the dramatic loss to Liverpool in 2019.

Even though legendary players like Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique, and Andres Iniesta continued for a few additional years, the squad never recaptured the brilliance they previously exhibited. Remarkably, it has now been a decade since Barcelona last clinched the coveted European title.

Ivan Rakitic makes bold confession about playing with Lionel Messi at FC Barcelona

During their time at FC Barcelona, Ivan Rakitic and Lionel Messi played together in 277 matches, making the Argentinean star the teammate with whom Rakitic shared the most time on the pitch throughout his career. Together, they contributed to 27 goals, the highest combined total in their careers. Reflecting on his experiences with the Argentine superstar, Rakitic recently revealed an intriguing detail about Messi’s character.

“He didn’t even know the capacity he had to impress people with his presence. That is also the nobility he has. Because I always told him: ‘Leo, you don’t know what you can do with a gesture to a teammate. You can’t imagine’. Many of us are here, of course, because we love Barça, but also because we love being in a team with you,” Ivan Rakitic confessed, via Sport.

“Lamine, always on my team,” said Ivan Rakitic about Yamal in a recent interview, according to TyC Sports. “He’s incredible. I love his boldness, his joy.” The former Croatian midfielder then offered a piece of advice to the young Spanish star: “He has to keep enjoying himself.”

Rakitic played six years with Barcelona, from 2014 to 2020, during one of the most glorious eras in the club’s history. He won 13 titles there, including La Liga four times, Copa del Rey four times, and the Champions League in the 2014–15 season, followed by the Club World Cup later that year.

“Lamine wouldn’t be a starter in our Barcelona,” Ivan said when asked how Yamal would fit into that star-studded team that conquered Europe. “At that time we had the best attacking trio in history with Messi, Neymar and Suarez.”

What was Barcelona’s MSN?

Between 2014 and 2017, Barcelona capitalized on one of the most dangerous attacking trios in soccer history. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar Jr. formed that frontline, which became known as ‘MSN,’ a reference to the initials of each player.

With that trio, the Spanish side dazzled Europe in the 2015 Champions League and dominated Spanish soccer throughout those years. Over the three seasons MSN existed, Messi scored 153 goals and provided 66 assists, Suarez added 121 goals and 67 assists, and Ney contributed 90 goals and 63 assists—showcasing the sheer attacking firepower Barcelona had on the pitch.

That partnership, however, came to an abrupt end in the summer of 2017, when Neymar chose to leave Spain and begin a new chapter in France. Paris Saint-Germain paid Barcelona €222 million (around $250 million), making the Brazilian forward the most expensive player of all time.

Yamal’s numbers this season

While Rakitic has a point in saying that Messi, Suarez, and Neymar reached a level few can match during those years, it doesn’t take away from what Yamal is achieving with Barcelona this season—at just 17 years old.

With one La Liga match still to play, Lamine Yamal has already posted his best numbers yet as a professional. This season he has played 54 matches with Barcelona across La Liga, UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup. He has scored 18 goals and delivered 22 assists, totaling 40 goal contributions—an average of 0.74 per game.

Barcelona president Josep Marian Bartomeu has already posted a Tweet of Rakitic with all the trophies the midfielder has won at Barca. However, fans are still thinking about the future of the Argentina superstar, who has been linked with a move to Manchester City.

While Messi’s father and agent, Jorge Messi, tries to reach and agreement with Bartomeu and the rest of the Barcelona board, Rakitic said goodbye to the fans, club officials and his teammates.

Rakitic sends a message to Messi

During the press conference, Rakitic was asked about Messi’s decision to leave Barcelona. And theCroatian midfielder answered: “I think each player made his own analysis and decisions. You have to understand that for me, I have seen that it is time. What Leo will do or what other players will do, I think you have to ask them.”

However, that was not all, as journalists kept asking him about Messi and the possibility of a move to another team.“The first option and the best option for all players, is always the Barca,” Rakitic said.“Everyone has to make their own decision and have their own ideas. You have to respect everyone’s opinion. I prefer to give them mine because I know mine. But for me, the first option would always be Barcelona”.

Rakitic agreed a four-yeardeal with Sevilla, who paid an initial fee of€1.5 million for the experiencied midfielder. The UEFA Europa League champions would would paid a total of around€10.5 million.