FIFA World Cup 2018, Major highpoints: Croatia's Ivan Rakitic's WC performance so far in a nutshell

Here's how Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic fared in the world cup  |  Photo Credit: AP

New Delhi: Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic is one of the underdogs in the FIFA World Cup 2018. Born in Switzerland to Croatian parents, the midfielder left Switzerland’s national team to play for his parents’ native country. And he accomplished himself as one of the most established midfielders in the world, forming a lethal partnership with fellow Croatian Luka Modric, that carried the Croats to their first ever final in the history of FIFA World Cup.

Ivan Rakitic’s performance in this World Cup have been outstanding. Whether it was agility in the midfield, decision making prowess or goal scoring abilities, the Barcelona player has been a key man for Zlatko Dalic’s side, so much that he was he was made to shoulder the most important responsibility of scoring the deciding last goals twice for Croatia in then knockouts against Denmark and Russia. And as Croatia have become the second smallest nation in the World Cup to reach the finals [first being Uruguay], here’s the Croatian’s journey in the World Cup so far, in a nutshell;

• Rakitic has been one of the most consistent players in the World Cup so far. He has played for 120 minutes for the Croatian side, not once but thrice in all their three knockout games.
• He shouldered the responsibility and scored the two deciding goals for Croatia against Denmark and Russia in the round of 16 and quarterfinals respectively.
• His goal against Argentina in the group stage fixtures was nothing short of dreamy as he half-volleyed the ball into the back of the net. He has been quick-footed pitching some crucial passes for his national side.
• According to statistics released by FIFA, Rakitic has covered a whopping distance of 62.7 kilometres and comes next to his compatriot Luka Modric in the list of most distance covered by any player in this World Cup edition. 

Will Rakitic put in another memorable performance for Croatia in the final against France?