Rakitic: Was I close to joining Juventus? Ronaldo didn’t call me at the time. Seve surprised Barcelona

October 10th: Rakitic, who has retired, accepted an interview with the program and talked about Sevilla's recent victory over Barcelona, ​​his future and transfer rumors.

About Sevilla's recent victory over Barcelona

"Whatever the result, I am extremely proud of the strength and energy of the team. I must congratulate the coach and his technical team, who have assembled a team that surprised even the mighty Barcelona. For me, Barcelona are the top three teams in Europe, but they were overwhelmed by the intensity and organization of Sevilla."

About the personal future

"I am reporting to (Sports Director) ) Goran Vucevic learned a lot from the chairman. Next week I will start studying Sports Management at UEFA, a course called MIP. I also signed up for a coaching certificate course. But taking my time, I haven't made any decisions yet. I want to learn a lot and keep improving myself before deciding what is best for me. ”

About working at Hajduk FC

“It’s important to understand everything. I'm lucky enough to be able to Signed some really good kids and now needs to hit the ground running. The situation in Croatia, especially Hajduk's, was not that easy, but I think I can be very satisfied with my work in the first (transfer) window. "

About coach Almeida

"We were pleasantly surprised by what Almeida brought to Sevilla. We have to trust him, stop being negative and give all the love to the manager and the players. foot The world of football changes quickly and they can achieve a lot. I have full confidence in them. "

On Sevilla's senior players

"I talked to my wife Raquel about this and I told her that actually I'm not that old. What matters is that everything works smoothly. I hope we can have 25 young players, all from our own youth training and so on, but sometimes they need guidance and help.

We used to have these (precious) things at home experience), but we no longer value it. I'm not saying that's what caused the results, but two years ago we won the Europa League and the situation the team was in last year was a real shame. When we have something good, we must know how to manage it. ”

About Club Management

“What I’ve learned over the years is not always to understand every decision, but to accept them. I think at the end of the day, above any player or coach is the club and the crest. But for me, communication with players and coaches is always very important because ultimately we all want the same thing. I'm a bit old school in this regard and I think hierarchy is very important and everyone has to know their place and the rest is a matter of working hard, trusting each other and getting things done. "

About Sevilla's goals

"After going through the situation of the last two years, it is best not to think too much and just enjoy the moment. whenever When we see players on the street, we should give them encouragement and care. That's it. Don't think too crazy. We must make good use of this period between national team games and continue to follow the head coach's arrangements. It can be seen that he has everything under control very well. As long as this is the case, I have nothing to worry about. ”

On the qualities required to play for Sevilla

“For me, it is very important to have strong mental strength and emotional strength. Not always the best player is To make my team better, you have to understand that our clubs are completely different. Maybe no one can experience it like me or Navas, but he has to understand where he is and what it means to wear the Sevilla shirt. Once they find that, talent and hard work will allow them to enjoy it because there is nothing more wonderful than that. I would give anything to wear my jersey again. "

About being close to joining Juventus?

"Cristiano Ronaldo himself never called me. I know there were a lot of rumors at the time, but he didn't have to call me, everyone knew what an incredible pride it was to play with him. I have very special feelings for Italian football and Juventus. I had already decided to leave Barcelona, ​​but when Monchi called me, it was all over for me. The rest is history, because with one phone call, my thoughts were very clear."