Rakitic: Messi the best player ever

The Croatia international believes that his
Barcelona team-mate has already prove
himself the greatest talent the game has ever
seen
Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has hailed
team-mate Lionel Messi as the player of all
time.
The Argentina international hit 58 goals in 57
appearances in all competitions last year, as
the Blaugrana pulled off a famous treble by
winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the
Champions League.
Consequently, Rakitic believes that the four-
time Ballon d'Or winner has already done
enough, at 28, to cement his status as the
finest talent the game has ever seen.
"Messi? We all know who is he. He's the best
football player in the history,” the Croatia
international said.
Rakitic was speaking ahead of Tuesday's Uefa
Super Cup showdown with Sevilla. With the
Blaugrana also set to compete in the Supercopa
de Espana and Club World Cup before the year
is out, Luis Enrique's men are perfectly placed
to match the six-trophy haul Pep Guardiola's
Barca side managed in 2009.
Rakitic admits that Barca are not yet firing on
all cylinders, with the likes of Messi and
Neymar having competed in this summer's Copa
America, but is nonetheless confident that they
can remain on track by beating his former club.
"I'm very excited," the 27-year-old added.
"There’s nothing nicer than starting a season
with a title.
“I am a huge Sevilla fan, but not in this game.
As always, I’ll give all I have to Barca. We want
to continue making history on the way to
winning all six titles.
“Leo and Neymar are very important for us,
but so too are the other players.
“Maybe we are not 100 per cent ready for the
new season, but we can win the first title and
there can be no excuses.”