Ivan Rakitic ends international career with Croatia

Posted September 21, 2020 7:00 am

The Associated Press

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) - Ivan Rakitic has decided to end his international career, Croatia's soccer federation said Monday.

The 32-year-old Rakitic played 106 times for his country in a storied midfield partnership with Luka Modric that lasted for more than a decade.

They were key to Croatia reaching the 2018 World Cup final where it lost 4-2 to France.

Rakitic scored the decisive penalty in shootouts to beat Denmark and host Russia in the first two knockout rounds.

'œSaying goodbye to the Croatian national team is the most difficult decision in my career,'ť Rakitic said in a federation statement.

Born in Switzerland, Rakitic started his career at Basel and represented Swiss national youth teams before opting to switch to his parents' home nation.

He leaves the Croatia squad just nine months before it plays at the postponed 2020 European Championship. Croatia is in a group with England, the Czech Republic and a playoff winner not yet decided.

Rakitic is in his first season back at Sevilla, where he won a Europa League title in 2014 before starting a six-year spell at Barcelona. He scored the opening goal in Barcelona's 3-1 win over Juventus in the 2015 Champions League final.

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FILE - In this Saturday, July 7, 2018 file photo Croatia's Ivan Rakitic, left, vies for the ball with Russia's Daler Kuziaev during the quarterfinal match between Russia and Croatia at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Fisht Stadium, in Sochi, Russia. Croatia's soccer federation says Ivan Rakitic has decided to end his international career. The 32-year-old Rakitic played 106 times for his country in a storied midfield partnership for more than a decade with Luka Modric. They were key to Croatia reaching the 2018 World Cup final where it lost 4-2 to France.(AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File) The Associated Press

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