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Javier Mascherano was once a fixture in midfield at Liverpool FC. Then Barça knocked. Unsuccessful at first. Mascherano was anything but good at talking to the Reds bosses.
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Managing director Christian Purslow has assured him that Liverpool will approve him if a proper offer is on the table, reports Mascherano at FOURFOURTWO. “Then there was an offer on the table, but Liverpool ignored it.”
The offer came from FC Barcelona in 2010. Mascherano wanted to accept it, Liverpool initially did not. “I was really angry that they didn’t keep their word,” said the Argentine.
Mascherano resorted to unsightly means, refused to run against Manchester City. “I told the club that I wanted to leave for family reasons, so I was very upset. Then I acted like that. There was no other option. Liverpool would not have kept their promise otherwise.”
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Liverpool finally buckled, selling Mascherano to Barça for 20 million euros at the end of August 2010, where he was retrained from midfielder to central defender under Pep Guardiola.
Until the beginning of 2018, Mascherano won the Champions League twice and the championship five times alongside his compatriot Lionel Messi. At the end of 2020, Mascherano announced the end of his career.
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