Footage of Sevilla star Ivan Rakitic revealing his appreciation for Barcelona's supporters during the meeting between the two clubs on Sunday has come to the fore online.
Midfielder Rakitic, alongside the rest of Julen Lopetegui's high-flying squad, made the trip to the Camp Nou late last night for a crunch showdown amid the battle for Champions League football in La Liga.
And though, in the end, the visitors were ultimately condemned to defeat, Rakitic managed to put his frustrations to one side, to provide a token of his appreciation to the Barcelona faithful.
This of course comes with the Croatian international having enjoyed a trophy-laden six-year stint in the Catalan capital from 2014 to 2020.
After being greeted at the pitchside hoardings by two members of the Blaugrana's fanbase post-match, Rakitic handed over both his match-worn jersey and shorts, in a classy gesture on the part of the veteran midfielder:
Pedri magic the difference
As alluded to above, when turning attentions back towards the outcome of proceedings at the Camp Nou on Sunday, Rakitic was ultimately forced to face up to a hard-fought loss at the hands of his former club.
This came owing to a solitary goal notched by hosts Barca, on their way to a 6th La Liga triumph on the spin.
The evening's telling moment was forthcoming just inside the closing twenty minutes of action, when a sequence of individual brilliance on the part of Pedri saw the midfield prodigy dance beyond a pair of Sevilla defenders, before picking out the far corner of Bono's net in style:
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