Rakitic insists ‘incredible’ rising star would have improved the greatest Barcelona team of all time | OneFootball

Despite having played in what is widely considered the greatest Barcelona team of all time, led by the terrific trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar (MSN), Ivan Rakitic believes that Lamine Yamal could have taken that already extraordinary side to even greater heights.

The Croatian midfielder, who wore the Barcelona shirt from 2014 to 2020, praised the Spanish international in an interview with The Independent.

Rakitic was part of an iconic midfield department featuring the legendary Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets as they won a historic treble under Luis Enrique during the 2014/15 season.

“It’s true that we had an incredible group, especially in the first few years. 2014, 2015, 2016 – those were our best years,” Rakitic explained.

Having been part of what is considered one of the best Barça teams of all time, the veteran Croatian insists that someone like Lamine would have helped them reach greater heights.

“The fact is it’s very difficult to bring somebody into that team, not just from Barcelona but from everywhere. But good players are always welcome, they can always help, and I was asked whether there would be room for Lamine (Yamal),” said the veteran icon.

Sky is the limit for Lamine. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

“If you play with Leo (Messi), there’s no room for anybody. But we would’ve found a way of fitting Lamine in. Everyone would have, that’s very obvious. He’s an incredible player,” he added.

Rakitic believes Lamine deserves to win the Ballon d’Or this year, despite those who argue he is too young to receive the award.

“We’re talking about a 17-year-old youngster – this tells us that it’s not a matter of age,” the Croatian stated. “You are either there or you are not.”

Continuing, Rakitic added: “If he’d reached the Champions League final, we wouldn’t have had no doubts that he would win the award this year. It’s an individual award but titles also count.

“But even without the Champions League final, especially how he’s playing in the final months, I think he’s a possible winner out of two or three candidates. For me personally, he’s the favourite.”