Former Croatia international Ivan Rakitic, who spent much of his career with Barcelona and Sevilla, announced his retirement from football on Monday at the age of 37.
Football, you gave me more than I ever dreamed of. You gave me friends, emotions, joy and tears, Rakitic wrote in a letter reflecting on his career on social media.
Now its time to say goodbye. Because even if I walk away from you, I know youll never walk away from me. Thank you, football. For everything.
Rakitic, who began his career with Basel and later moved to Schalke, played 106 times for Croatia and started his countrys World Cup final loss to France in 2018.
He was part of Barcelonas treble-winning side in 2015 and twice won the Europa League with Sevilla.