Rakitic hints at Milan regret with mention of Serie A and Ibrahimovic: “He was special”

Ivan Rakitic has admitted that he would have liked to have experienced playing in Serie A, more specifically with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Milan have been linked with a move for Rakitic at various points in his career, most concretely in the 2020 summer window when it was obvious that the team needed a creative midfielder.

He retired at the beginning of July at the age of 37 after a playing career that saw him represent Schalke, Sevilla, Barcelona and later Hajduk Split. He also played over 100 times for his country, alongside Luka Modric for most of it, who he heavily praised recently.

Rakitic spoke in an interview with CBS Sports, and the former Croatian midfielder was asked about the player he most enjoyed swapping shirts with, and his comments were transcribed by MilanPress.

“A special shirt swap, very important for me, was the one with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I’m grateful for my career, but I missed two things: playing in Serie A and playing with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“I think he was special for us players. I think his attitude, as he says, like a lion, like a number 1, could improve you in so many ways, so many qualities by being around him every day. That’s why I adore Zlatan.”