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'I feel sad' - Rakitic complains about being benched at Barcelona

Ivan Rakitic feels like Barcelona "took my ball" after being confined to a marginal role at Camp Nou this season.

An influential performer since joining Barca ahead of their treble-winning 2014-15 campaign, Rakitic has been the odd man out this term following the big-money arrival of Netherlands star Frenkie de Jong.

The Croatia midfielder has only started on one of his seven La Liga appearances, while three Champions League outings have all come from Ernesto Valverde's bench.

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Asked about his predicament in an interview with Universo Valdano on Movistar, Rakitic replied: "How can I enjoy it?