Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi injured his arm during a La Liga fixture against Sevilla recently
#4. Ivan Rakitic
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Rakitic was a real threat to opposition teams with his incredible long passes
Croatian superstar Ivan Rakitic has been one of the most impressive performers at the Nou Camp ever since he joined Barcelona in the summer of 2014, and the absence of Messi only afforded him more opportunities to prove his incredible impact in the Catalan capital.
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Featuring in Barcelona's midfield alongside Sergio Busquets and Arthur Melo, Rakitic was a great force to be reckoned with in the middle of the pitch and the former Sevilla midfielder contributed immensely to ensure that the Catalans did not suffer in the absence of their star player.
His amazing vision and incredible long passes were quite unmatchable, while he also helped in retaining possession and pressing the opposition players. He sent a wonderful distant pass to Jordi Alba in the build-up to Barcelona's opener in El Clásico that got football fans elated and he released the Spaniard with a similar effort to help the Blaugrana open their scoring against Rayo Vallecano last weekend.
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About the author
Jidonu Mauyon
Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.
Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.
Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.
In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.
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