Ivan Rakitic has been talking all things World Cup 2018 and specifically about Lionel Messi as his Croatia team will face Argentina in Group D.
There’s a tedious argument that Messi can’t be regarded as the greatest player of all time unless he’s lifted the World Cup but Rakitic isn’t having any of it.
“Surely he deserves to win it for who he is. Football isn’t tennis: you can’t put Messi under pressure by saying he alone has to win the World Cup.
“He does deserve it but there are 32 countries with the same dream. If he wins it at the end, we will all be happy for him
“However, his story is not going to change if he wins it or not. If you are the best, you are it independently of whether you win one or 50,000 titles. One World Cup will not change what Leo Messi means to football.”