Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic was on the receiving end of some words of high praise from former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese manager claimed that the Croatian is one of the most underrated players in the world after his fantastic display against Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu where he scored the goal that separated the two teams in the weekend El Clasico.
“For me, Rakitic is one of the most underrated players in the world,” Mourinho said speaking as a pundit for BeIN Sports.
"He's one of the most underrated players in the world.
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) March 2, 2019
"He needs to improve his Instagram and social media because in this moment this is very important and he's not very good on that but he's very good on the pitch!"
Guess Who❓
(p.s. Mourinho couldn't resist could he?! 😂) pic.twitter.com/3w9toQYrLM
“He is a fantastic player at every level. He does defensive work on the right side to compensate for Messi. He runs miles. In ball possession he is fantastic. He is simple, he is effective. He is one of the most underrated players.”
Mourinho further spoke about how the midfielder’s job is not an easy one and he also helps Barcelona get the best out of Lionel Messi.
“Barcelona keep their model of play where there is a position that is very, very important for them, which is the midfield player on the right.
“Why? Because the midfield player on the right is the one that’s going to allow Messi play where he wants to play, which is completely free, but especially playing inside, playing in between the lines, coming for the ball, going with [Luis] Suáarez, appearing and making an overload even in the opposite side.
“That player was Sergi Roberto in the cup, today it is Rakitic on the right side of [Sergio] Busquets. This is the player that is going to cover the right side and allow Messi to be exactly where he can hurt you, which is that connection between him and Suarez.”
