A Rakitic for history

There is no player in the history of Barcelona who has averaged a higher average number of games in his seasons at the Barça club than Iván Rakitic, who takes the ticket back to Seville with all the honors in the history of Barça. Not because of his 13 titles, 35 goals, 42 assists or 310 official games, which place him among the 35 players with the most presence of a club as magnanimous as Barcelona, ​​but for his perseverance year after year.

During six seasons, the Croatian has averaged 51.4 games and has left behind other illustrious. Andoni Zubizarreta He played eight seasons with 410 games, an average of 51.1. Luis Figo He spent five seasons before his mediatic and hurtful signing for Real Madrid in which he participated in 249 games, reaching the round figure of 50 games each year. Cesc Fabregas He only played three seasons, but reached an average of 50.5 with 151 official games. Neither Leo Messi reaches that figure, weighed down because in his early years, still very young, his game average was lower: he accumulated 731 games in 16 years, with 46 commitments per year.

Rakitic is the fourth foreigner with the most matches, only surpassed by Messi, Dani Alves and Javier Mascherano, and in most statistics he is in the top 50 of Barça history with only six seasons behind him. Vital for all coaches, he has seen his role in the team diminish this season, but he has still participated in 42 games (only 22 starters).

Leaving aside the disastrous Barça course, in the previous five Rakitic was captain general in midfield. In the 2014-15 campaign, in which Barcelona won their last Champions League, the Croatian played 51 games between the League, the Champions League and the King's Cup. The following year he broke his record: he performed in 57 matches, participating in all possible competitions. He kept pace for his next three seasons in which Barcelona's performance languished despite continuing to win titles: 51, 55 and 54 games.

As has happened throughout his career, Rakitic has become the seventh most substituted player in Barca history. Of these 310 games, 139 have been substituted, a very high average, only surpassed by players like Cesc Fàbregas, Pedro Rodríguez or Ludovic Giuly or David Villa, of those who have had more than 100 participations with the Barça club.