Barcelona stepped one foot closer to regaining the La Liga title on Sunday afternoon thanks to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

First half goals from Paco Alcacer and the imperious Lionel Messi were enough for the Catalan giants to maintain their incredible unbeaten league record this term.

With Sergio Busquets injured and Luis Suarez suspended, Ernesto Valverde was forced to shuffle the pack against his former side, handing starts to Paulinho, Alcacer and Philippe Coutinho.

Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti were impressive yet again at the back, but Barca fans who watched the match believe one player in particular deserves much more acknowledgement for his efforts.

Barca fans think one player deserves more praise

Barcelona supporters were very active on Twitter during Sunday's win, and according to them, the man whose top-class performances warrant more credit is Ivan Rakitic.

The classy Croatian moved to the Nou Camp from Sevilla in June 2014, and in that time, he's actually featured more times than Busquets, Suarez, and even Messi.

Rakitic shines yet again

As Busquets was absent, a lot more responsibility was placed on Rakitic's shoulders against Athletic Club to dictate and control play from a deeper position whilst carrying out his defensive duties.

Barca dropped off slightly in the second half, but Rakitic was outstanding in the opening period, doing lots of work that went unnoticed and producing some key interceptions.

What Barca fans are saying about Rakitic

Check out some of the best tweets about Rakitic below:

Do Barca fans have a point?

Whenever the conversation about the world's very best midfielders comes up, most people will name Real Madrid pair Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, Busquets and Iniesta.

Premier League stars like N'Golo Kante and Kevin de Bruyne are also mentioned, but Rakitic has been an ever-present under Valverde this season and performed at a world-class level.

The 30-year-old has scored 30 goals in 204 Barca games and effectively transitioned from a number ten, to a box-to-box central midfielder to an exceptional deep-lying playmaker.

Do YOU believe Rakitic doesn't get the credit he deserves at Barca? Do YOU think he is world-class? Share YOUR thoughts in the comments box below!