Ivan Rakitic, who looks back on his six seasons with Lionel Messi at FC Barcelona, says Messi's stability and ability are like things in a video game.
Rakitic joined Barcelona in 2014 and left Camp Nou last summer to return to Sevilla.
In an exclusive interview with GOAL, Rakitic, 33, spoke about the time the two spent together and his hopes for Messi's future.
Rakitic said of Messi: "As a player, always want to compete with the best players and enjoy the fun of playing with them, if he is the best, it is better. ”
"It's been an incredible six years and I've learned a lot."
"I look at Leon, he's scored at least 30 goals for 9 consecutive seasons and it looks like a video game."
"If you do that on a Playstation, the opponent will tell you that you're playing someone else and you've mastered all the tricks. You just have to enjoy it every day. ”
"I'm proud to have spent so many years with him, fought for so many titles with him, won so many titles."
"Sincerely, if I could help him, even if it was just a little bit, it would be special. It's so special to be in Barcelona to be able to share a dressing room with so many great players. ”
As the 33-year-old Messi's contract with Barca enters the final weeks, there is growing speculation about his next move.
Messi has not revealed his future plans, but Rakitic hopes Messi will choose to stay where his career began.
"I don't know (what decision he's going to make) and I want him to stay," Rakitic said.
"Not only in Barcelona, but also in La Liga. I believe that as a fan, the best thing for us is for him to stay at Barca. ”
"As a friend and former team-mate, I wish him and his family all the best and I hope he can make the best decision for himself."