The day Rakitic arrived in Seville, the Croatian midfielder’s love story started
Currently, the technical director of Hajduk Split, former Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic, needs no introduction. From his achievements while representing Club Barcelona to his luxurious life, almost every little detail about the former Seville player is known to football fans who follow either of the above-mentioned teams.
However, one hilarious episode from Rakitic’s personal life received little media attention, yet it demonstrated early on that he was a highly determined player who would go to great lengths to achieve his goals once he set his sights on them.
On Rakitic’s 38th birthday, we take a look at his love story with Raquel Mauri that started in a bar.
To Seville
Before becoming a big name in Barcelona, Rakitic played for Schalke 04 in Germany, but his talent caught Sevilla’s eye, and the Croatian was invited to Spain in 2010. The day Rakitic arrived in Seville with his brother, the midfielder had trouble sleeping from fatigue and headed to the hotel bar for a drink.
Love at first sight
At the table, a waitress named Raquel Mauri came to serve Rakitic’s drink, and at that very moment, Rakitic fell in love. He said to his brother, “You see our waitress? I am going to play here for Seville, and I am going to marry this woman.”
No to another club
During their time at that bar, another European club had called Rakitic’s brother with an offer for the Croatian midfielder. However, despite no formal agreement with Seville, Rakitic chose to honour his words, and the next day, he signed a formal contract with Seville.
A genuine concern
Neither Rakitic knew Spanish nor Raquel knew any language other than Spanish, and therefore, communication was a problem between the two. However, with broken Spanish, Rakitic asked Raquel many times for a date, and although she never said no, she never agreed to meet him anywhere. Finally, one day, Raquel revealed that, given Rakitic was a footballer, he could be moving all the time, and therefore, Raquel did not wish for an unstable, nomadic sort of life.
Motivated training sessions and a yes
Raquel’s concern forced Rakitic to put in extra efforts during the training sessions so that he could perform better for Seville, ensuring his longer stay in Spain. After nearly six months, Rakitic and Raquel finally went on their first official lunch.
On June 20, 2015, the two tied the knot and now are a loving family with two daughters. Ivan Rakitic not only achieved immense success on the football pitch, but he also got exactly what he wanted in his personal life— a life that many dream of but never achieve.