Daniele De Rossi vs Ivan Rakitić: Stats Compared
Central Midfielder, Italy (born 1983, retired 2019) · Central Midfielder, Croatia (born 1988, retired 2023)
Few debates split football fans quite like Daniele De Rossi versus Ivan Rakitić. It is in how they played, rather than what they won, that the comparison gets interesting. By the end Daniele De Rossi had 65 goals from 700 caps and club outings; Ivan Rakitić had 90 from 700. In chance creation, Daniele De Rossi tallied 60 assists to Ivan Rakitić's 90. Trophy counts give Daniele De Rossi 3 and Ivan Rakitić 6, with 1× FIFA World Cup (2006) and 1× UEFA Champions League (2015) the standout honours respectively. Daniele De Rossi played with a intelligent that made him unmistakable; Ivan Rakitić brought a orchestrating that was equally his own. Context beyond the headline totals is important: Daniele De Rossi's landmark level arrived around 2013 with a career spanning Roma; Ivan Rakitić's came around 2015 across Basel, Schalke 04, Sevilla, Barcelona, Sevilla, Hajduk Split. Greatness, in cases like this, is rarely a zero-sum affair.
155 words · comparison angle: style
Player profiles
A one-club legend and 2006 World Cup winner, De Rossi embodied Roma's midfield for nearly two decades, combining ferocious tackling with a superb range of passing.
“A commanding, technically excellent deep-lying midfielder who mixed hard tackling with elegant long-range distribution.”
A key architect of Barcelona's 2015 treble and Croatia's run to the 2018 World Cup final, Rakitić combined tireless work rate with excellent passing range.
“A tireless, technically composed box-to-box midfielder whose range of passing linked defence and attack seamlessly.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2006)
- 2× Coppa Italia (2007, 2008)
- 1× UEFA Champions League (2015)
- 1× UEFA Europa League (2014)
- 4× La Liga (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 2001 Professional debut for Roma
- 2006 Won FIFA World Cup with Roma
- 2007 Won Coppa Italia with Roma
- 2013 Reached the peak of his powers at Roma
- 2019 Retired after a final spell at Roma
- Finished his career with 65 goals in 700 appearances and 3 major honours. Finished his career with 65 goals in 700 appearances and 3 major honours.
- 2005 Professional debut for Basel
- 2015 Won UEFA Champions League with Barcelona
- 2015 Won La Liga with Barcelona
- 2015 Reached the peak of his powers at Barcelona
- 2023 Retired after a final spell at Hajduk Split
- Finished his career with 90 goals in 700 appearances and 6 major honours. Finished his career with 90 goals in 700 appearances and 6 major honours.
The verdict
The numbers give Ivan Rakitić the lead — a narrow margin, courtesy of a weightier trophy cabinet.
Ivan Rakitić edges it (a narrow margin)
