page_title: Ivan Rakitić
section_title: 2014 World Cup
hierarchical_section_title: Ivan Rakitić / International career / 2014 World Cup
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Матч Бразилия-Хорватия на Чемпионате мира по футболу 2014-06-12English: Brazil and Croatia match at the FIFA World Cup 2014-06-12Português: Brasil e Croácia, primeiro jogo da Copa do Mundo de 2014-06-12
context_page_description: Ivan Rakitić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a central or attacking midfielder for Spanish club Barcelona and is also the vice-captain of the Croatia national team.
  Rakitić started his professional career at Basel and spent two seasons with them before he was signed by Schalke 04. After spending three-and-a-half seasons in the Bundesliga, he was signed by Sevilla in January 2011. Two years later, Rakitić was confirmed as the club captain and captained the team to UEFA Europa League triumph. In June 2014, Barcelona and Sevilla reached an agreement on the transfer of Rakitić. In his first season with Barça, he won the treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League. He scored the first goal of the 2015 Champions League Final and became the first player ever to win the Champions League a year after winning the Europa League while playing for two clubs.
  At the international level, Rakitić plays for the Croatia national team. Although naturally a product of Switzerland's youth level, Rakitić pledged his international career to his parents' country of Croatia instead.
context_section_description: In the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, on 12 October 2012 Rakitić scored a goal from a free-kick against Macedonia at Philip II Arena to help secure a 1–2 victory for Croatia. Eventually, after the playoffs, the team qualified for the World Cup final stages. They were drawn into Group A alongside Brazil, Mexico and Cameroon. Croatia played the opening match against Brazil, which they lost 3–1. In the second match, Croatia won 4–0 against Cameroon, but did not progress as they lost 1–3 against Mexico, with Rakitić providing the assist for the only Croatian goal.
caption: Rakitić playing against his then Barcelona teammate Neymar, at the opening match between Croatia and Brazil
exif: {}