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Former Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo attempted to persuade him to join Juventus. The former Croatian midfielder has also admitted that he regrets not moving to Italy, as he admires Italian football.
Rakitic has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo called him in 2019 to pursuade him to move to the Turin-based club. He also hailed Gennaro Gattuso as a great manager who could help Italy achieve great things. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Barcelona star said, as quoted by Yahoo Sport:
"It’s true, Cristiano called me in 2019 and said: 'Come to Juventus' Honestly I would have loved to play in Italy. That’s my biggest regret. I admire Italian football and your way of life. I’m also huge fan of Gennaro Gattuso who coached me at Hajduk Split. Italy has fantastic coach who will achieve great things."
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He added:
"That was 1 reason but the main 1 is that I was at Barca. I was lucky to play there, then at Sevilla & Hajduk. It could’ve been great deal but my life turned out great anyway. I told my brother: I won’t go, I gave my word to Sevilla’s president. And see that waitress? I’ll marry her."
Rakitic hung up his boots this summer following an illustrious career for club and country. During his career, he played for the likes of Schalke, Sevilla, Barcelona, and Hajduk Split, among others.
The gifted midfielder represented Croatia 106 times over the years and was a key part of the team that finished runners-up in the FIFA World Cup in 2018. While Rakitic did not play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, he played 18 times against the Portuguese superstar winning six times, drawing twice and losing on 10 occasions.
Former Barcelona star Inigo Martinez reveals situations on the pitch where he helps Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr
Former Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez has opened up on how he helps Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. The Spanish defender has claimed that he and Cristiano Ronaldo help each other out on the pitch by handing out instructions to teammates.
The ex-Barcelona defender has admitted that he is enjoying being Ronaldo's teammate despite not being close to each other in Spain. He told Marca:
"I had competed against him, but I hadn't been that close, nor had I had any conversations with him. Arriving and having him waiting for you, having those enriching conversations, it's a pleasure to be able to play with him. It's mutual; there are situations on the pitch, especially defensively, where I can help him out. There are always conversations both on and off. There's a great atmosphere in the locker room. There's usually a lot of chatting; we don't usually spend much time talking."
Inigo Martinez made a somewhat surprising switch to Al-Nassr this summer despite being a key player for Barcelona. He has played nine games for the Cristiano Ronaldo-led side so far and has won eight times while losing just once on penalties.
