Javier Mascherano: the professional career of the “Jefecito”

Javier Alejandro Mascherano, who recently retired playing for Estudiantes de La Plata , has had a rich career, not only in clubs, but also in titles. And also, he has participated constantly in the Argentine National Team. Let's review his long career in the different campuses he was part of and his contribution to this beautiful sport.

Clubs where Javier Mascherano played

CA River Plate

With the peculiarity of having played in the National Team before doing so in his club, the Jefecito made his debute for "La Banda" on August 3, 2003. Although he participated in important competitions in the club, such as the Copa Sudamericana and Libertadores, Mascherano won only one title: the 2004 Clausura Tournament . In any case, he already showed his good game as well as his profile as a leader on the field.

SC Corinthians

Despite the interest of several teams in Europe, it was finally the Brazilian Corinthians who signed Mascherano. For a value of 15 million dollars, the Argentine arrived at the Rio de Janeiro club on July 7, 2005 . Contrary to the expectations of the Paulistas fans, the period of the central midfielder was not up to the task. A serious injury that took him away from the fields for 7 months and a coach with a very marked character were decisive for his lack of minutes, a year after his arrival, Javier Mascherano looked for new horizons. The breaking point with the team's DT was after he denied Mascherano to play a friendly match with his National Team, coincidentally against Brazil. In his short time at the club, he obtained the title of the 2005 Brazilian Championship.

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West Ham United FC

The passage of Javier Mascherano in his first English team was also below expectations. His millionaire arrival was discussed by the partisan press and, despite having asked for an opportunity to show himself at the club, he was not considered to be part of the starting team on more than three occasions . Six months after his arrival, the Argentine announced his desire to find a new team.

Liverpool FC

After requests to FIFA and the Premier League, the team obtained permission for Javier Mascherano to be signed by the English Liverpool. This was because due to his short time in the previous teams, he had already reached the limit of two different teams in the same season . His time at his second English club was succesfsul. With a purchase option of 35 million dollars, Masche was the undisputed starter for 3 seasons. Although he did not win a title, he did manage to play in the UEFA Champions League final against Italian Milan, in which his team was defeated 2-1 . Despite his privileged place at the club, the lack of titles led the defensive midfielder to express his desire to leave the institution. Liverpool's intentions to retain him were in vain, letting him go on August 27, 2010.

FC Barcelona

The Catalan club saw the best version of Javier Mascherano. After a signing for 24 million euros and a millionaire contract offer , the club placed the player in a highly relevant position. Flattered by both the fans and colleagues, press and coaches, the Argentine won 19 titles during his 8 years. Among them, stood out his two UEFA Champions League cups, in 2011 and 2015, and both Club World Cups to which these continental titles classified him . His importance in the Blaugrana team was crowned by a plaque with his shirt, delivered in 2018 to the player by Andrés Iniesta, the then captain of the team.

La Plata students

Although before arriving at what would be his last club, Mascherano played two seasons at Hebei China Fortune FC , his brief stay at that institution would not be of great relevance. Looking for a low-level competitive Soccer, the Argentine midfielder took a break from the pressures caused by the sport. In November 2019, and already thinking about his retirement, Javier Mascherano arrived at Estudiantes de La Plata where he played for a year. After falling 1 to 0 against Argentinos Juniors, although this defeat had no impact on his decision, he communicated on November 15, 2020 at a press conference that he would stop playing professionally.

Javier Mascherano in the National Team

At the age of 19, Javier Mascherano made his debut in the Argentine National Team in a match that ended 2 goals even against Uruguay. In his 15 years of constant appearances for the national team, the midfielder stood out for being the one who played the most games with the "celeste y blanca" jersey, adding up to a total of 143 games. As for titles, he managed to be champion in 2003 with the U-20 team in the South American tournament held in Montevideo, and reached the Olympic gold medal in 2004 and 2008 . He was the undisputed starter in the 2006, 2010, 2014 world cups (second place) and 2018. After the elimination at the hands of France in the lattest FIFA World Cup, he announced his retirement as a soccer player for the Argentine national team.