UEFA Foundation for Children signs Ivan Rakitić

The UEFA Foundation for Children is proud to announce that Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitić is to join the organisation as its first official ambassador. The former Croatian international will have the opportunity to take part in UEFA Foundation-led initiatives, as well as promoting the good work undertaken by the body to help improve the lives of children worldwide.

Rakitić is "looking forward to putting smiles on children's faces after joining the UEFA Foundation as an ambassador@UEFA

“To be a part of the UEFA Foundation family gives me a lot of pride,” Rakitić explained.

“I’m really happy about it, and it gives me a lot of responsibility to show everyone that together with the UEFA Foundation and all the players we can accomplish a lot and, above all, help children all over the world smile with joy. The fact that I’m a father of two girls means that I know and understand how important it is to see that smile on children’s faces.”

Commitment to improving lives

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, who is also chairman of the board of the UEFA Foundation for Children, is delighted that Rakitić has committed his support to the organisation.

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan ©UEFA.com

“Ivan Rakitić is not only one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, he is also a person who wants to make a tangible difference away from the pitch in order to improve the lives of others,” said president Čeferin.

“I have been extremely impressed with Ivan’s commitment and desire to help children around the world and we are looking forward to working closely with him in order to achieve these goals. The door is always open for players, both past and present, to follow Ivan’s example and join the UEFA Foundation in an ambassadorial role.”

Being part of a family

Having won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona in 2015 and a year earlier the UEFA Europa League as captain of Sevilla, Rakitić also amassed over 100 caps for Croatia. While he has no immediate plans to hang up his boots, he already has one eye on a post-footballing career.

Ivan Rakitic of Sevilla FC during the UEFA Super Cup match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Sevilla at Puskas Arena on September 24, 2020 in Budapest, Hungary. UEFA via Getty Images

“I hope that I have many good years ahead of me on the pitch, but of course once I retire, I’m convinced that I’ll have more time and more opportunities to travel and be available," he said.

"Obviously, I want to give [this ambassadorial role] my all from day one. But when that [retirement] day finally arrives, I’m sure that I’ll have more time [to take part in projects] and my excitement will only increase.

“The idea of being a part of this family already has me excited to get started, and I hope to be able to do so for many years because I can see how important it is. It’s important work that affects us all, which is to make many children happy.”

Projects in over 100 countries

In the five years since the UEFA Foundation was set up, around one million children have benefited from its broad palette of activities worldwide, while it has provided support for projects in 100 countries across five continents.

Through sport, and football in particular, the UEFA Foundation is helping to give hope to children from difficult backgrounds so that they can achieve their goals in life.