Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde admits he's spoken to Ivan Rakitic after he sparked controversy this week.

The midfielder was pictured celebrating a local festival in Seville only days after the painful Champions League defeat at Liverpool.

"I spoke to him, he wanted to talk me to me, all I can say is that he is a great professional, he explained that he went to see his wife and children, he went out to the street and someone took a photo with him," the coach explained, defending his player.

"You have to go out to the street and accept the situation, you can't doubt his professionalism."