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Ivan Rakitic has revealed that he used to mock Lionel Messi by claiming he had a trophy the Argentine would never win. The former Barcelona star is referring to his Europa League triumph with Sevilla.
Ivan Rakitic won the Europa League with Sevilla back in the 2013/14 season before joining Barcelona. The Croatian spent 6 seasons at Camp Nou before returning to Sevilla last summer.
Barcelona took on Sevilla last night in the Copa del Rey. The Camp Nou side edged past Sevilla to make it to the finals, but the story of Ivan Rakitic joking with Lionel Messi has grabbed the headlines. Speaking to the media before the game, he said:
"I was speaking to Messi and said, 'You have won it all, have scored all these goals', but I told him, I have won a trophy you'll never have. You'll never win the Europa League!"
The last time Barcelona didn't qualify for the Champions League was in the 2002-03 season after finishing 6th in the league. They played the UEFA Cup the following year. The Catalan side have not played a single game in the Europa League so far.
Ivan Rakitic on his time with Lionel Messi at Barcelona
Ivan Rakitic admitted that he was never close friends with Lionel Messi, but they remain in contact. The Sevilla star won the league title 4 times and the Champions League once - in the 2014/15 season - during his time at Barcelona.
Speaking to the media about his time at Camp Nou, he said:
"Those guys weren't given anything. They earned their success. It's no coincidence those guys have won it all. Every player had a part to play. Each of them did things their own way, but it's always to win. We said in Berlin ahead of the Champions League final, 'With everyone together, no one will beat us.'''
Barcelona and Sevilla have met 4 times this season and the Camp Nou side have won twice and lost once. The only draw was the first meeting of the season, a 1-1 at Camp Nou in October.
