Mascherano began his career atRiver Plate, where he earned his first senior honours, theArgentine Primera División, in the 2003–04 season. He moved to Brazilian sideCorinthians in 2005, winning theBrazilian Série A that same year, and then joinedWest Ham United in thePremier League; however, his brief time with the Hammers was blighted by unusual contract terms withGlobal Soccer Agencies. At the beginning of 2007, Mascherano was loaned out to Liverpool and reached theUEFA Champions League final. Afterwards, his deal was made permanent for £18.7 million. He left for Barcelona in 2010, winning fiveLa Liga titles, two Champions Leagues and twoFIFA Club World Cups among other honours, in eight years before having stints in China and his native Argentina.
Born inSan Lorenzo,Santa Fe, Mascherano came through the youth ranks atRiver Plate in Buenos Aires, Argentina. However, before making his club debut he made his name representing Argentina.
Mascherano won his first silverware when River won the2003–04 Clausura championship. In the 2004Copa Libertadores River reached the semi-final, but lost on penalties to arch-rivalsBoca Juniors. Around this time several clubs includingReal Madrid,[6] andDeportivo La Coruña declared an interest in signing Mascherano, but River Plate turned down all offers, saying that none of the interested parties were prepared to pay enough.
2004–05 was not a successful season for River, finishing third in the Apertura Championship and only tenth in the Clausura. In the Copa Libertadores River again lost in the semi-final, this time toSão Paulo. After theConfederations Cup in Germany, Brazilian clubCorinthians acquired Mascherano from River Plate for US$15 million.
The Brazilian Série A runs from April, so Mascherano joined Corinthians mid-season. After playing only nine games for his new club, in September 2005, Mascherano fractured his left foot, causing him to miss the end of the season. He returned to Argentina to be operated on by the national team doctor and recuperate.[7][8][9][10] Corinthians, however, still won theSérie A title with Mascherano's compatriot,Carlos Tevez, as captain.
In total, Mascherano was out of action for six months, only returning on 5 March 2006.[11] Corinthians were forced to start their2006 Copa Libertadores without Mascherano, but he returned in time for the Round of 16 tie against River Plate, which theTimão lost. The2006 Brazilian Série A also went badly for Corinthians – at one point, they were even battling relegation. In June, the league was interrupted for the2006 World Cup.
Although his performances in both Brazil and Germany drew the attention of European clubs, Mascherano stated his desire to remain with Corinthians to help with their relegation battle and postponed any transfer until January at the earliest.[12] Hours before the summer transfer window of 2006 closed in Europe, however, he joinedWest Ham United alongside Tevez for an undisclosed fee.[13]
Throughout the summer of 2006, Mascherano was linked with top clubs around Europe; he stated he would relish playing inSpain forReal Madrid orBarcelona.Serie A sideJuventus was also interested in him,[14] but he came with Carlos Tevez to West Ham instead. There were many rumours about the surprise nature of Mascherano and Tevez's transfers, primarily regardingMedia Sports Investment's interest in buying out the club and whether they truly owned the two players, or whether athird party held their registration, and also that if a high enough (£112 million was touted) offer was received, West Ham would be forced to sell.[15] (It has since been discovered that Mystere Services andGlobal Soccer Agencies are the companies that owned Mascherano.)[16]
Before Mascherano joined, West Ham had won, drew and lost one game each. Upon his arrival, however, the Hammers went into free-fall, losing eight times and drawing once in all competitions before their next win on 29 October. During this time, Mascherano rarely featured in the squad despite their struggles, prompting rumours about financial clauses related to the amount of time he actually played. In October, national team coachAlfio Basile stated that he hoped Mascherano would leave West Ham "as soon as possible" and join Juventus.[17]
On 16 January 2007,Liverpool requested clearance fromFIFA to take Mascherano on loan from West Ham.[18] FIFA's rules state that no player can play for more than two clubs between 1 July and 30 June the following year, as Mascherano had already played for both Corinthians and West Ham during that time.
FIFA approved the deal on 31 January 2007.[19] However, although Liverpool submitted his registration details before the midnight transfer deadline, the Premier League did not immediately announce whether it would allow Mascherano to play for Liverpool, saying that it wanted to "take time to satisfy itself with the proposed arrangements".[20]
In a further development, it was announced on 2 March that the Premier League were charging West Ham with breaking rule B13, concerning acting in good faith, and rule U18, which concerns the influence of third-party ownership.[21] On 27 April, the Premier League issued West Ham a world-record fine of £5.5 million.[22]
Mascherano in a training session forLiverpool in 2008
On 10 February 2007,Liverpool added Mascherano to theirUEFA Champions League squad and gave him the number 20 shirt. Eventually, on 20 February 2007, Mascherano's move to Liverpool became official after the Premier League accepted Liverpool's request to register the player atAnfield.[23]
Mascherano made his debut for Liverpool againstSheffield United on 24 February 2007,[24] and was praised by the Liverpool managerRafael Benítez and team captainSteven Gerrard after Liverpool's 4–0 victory. After playing in a match againstArsenal on 31 March, Benítez called Mascherano a "monster of a player".[25] Similarly, his teammates were impressed by his talent;Xabi Alonso noted how mature a player he was for his age, saying, "He has a cool mind on the pitch. He is analysing and thinking about the game in each moment."[6] Mascherano's first Champions League appearance came in the quarter-final first leg away toPSV Eindhoven on 3 April. Hastily establishing himself as a starter at the club, Mascherano played in theChampions League Final that year againstMilan. He and teammate Alonso were successful in stifling the creative play of bothKaká andClarence Seedorf for much of the match but Liverpool eventually succumbed to Milan, losing 2–1 at theOlympic Stadium inAthens.[26] He was voted Liverpool's man of the match by the fans on the official Liverpool website.[27]
Following months of speculation, Mascherano signed a four-year permanent contract with Liverpool on 29 February 2008, ending his association with Media Sports Investments.[28] The transfer reportedly cost Liverpool £18.6 million,[29] and covered not only the transfer fee, but also the player's wages for the four-year deal.[30] It was allowed to go through immediately as Mascherano was not contracted to another club, making him exempt from the rules of the transfer window. He scored his first Premier League and Liverpool goal on 15 March 2008, with a 20-yard strike againstReading.[31]
On 29 November 2009, Mascherano claimed the first goal in the 2–0 win againstEverton atGoodison Park when his 30-yard shot appeared to be heading just off target before it took a wicked deflection offJoseph Yobo before finding the net. The goal officially went down as an own goal.[32] In a match againstPortsmouth on 19 December 2009, Mascherano was sent off for committing a bad foul onTal Ben Haim. It was later confirmed that the sending off meant a four-match suspension for Mascherano. This was due to this being his second red card of the season, Liverpool went on to lose the match 2–0.[33] Mascherano had the worst disciplinary record of the2009–10 Premier League season with seven yellow cards and two red.[34] He scored his first goal of the season with a bullet of a shot from outside the area in theUEFA Europa League againstUnirea Urziceni away from home in a match Liverpool won 3–1 to secure their place in the round of 16 of the competition with an aggregate win of 4–1.[35]
On 27 July 2010, after returning from a break after the2010 World Cup, Mascherano informed new Liverpool managerRoy Hodgson that he wanted to leave the club.[36] During that break, Hodgson had failed with several attempts to contact Mascherano, able only to leave messages for him saying that he was looking forward to meeting him back on Merseyside as his calls went unreturned.[37]
Mascherano was held in high esteem by the Liverpool fans, who gave him his own song, (to the tune of theWhite Stripes' "Seven Nation Army").[38] After winning the2011 Champions League Final with Barcelona against Manchester United, Mascherano, speaking directly after the match, said, "I want to say, I know that Liverpool supporters, after my exit, I know they were a little bit sad with me—this is for them as well."[39][40]
Liverpool announced on 27 August that they had agreed a £17.25 million transfer fee with Barcelona for the player and had given permission for him to speak with the Spanish club.[41]
In his first game atOld Trafford againstManchester United on 23 March 2008, Mascherano was sent off after collecting two yellow cards.[42] He was initially booked for a late tackle onPaul Scholes, and later dismissed for running towards refereeSteve Bennett to protest ayellow card shown toFernando Torres. Mascherano had to be pushed from the field of play by Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso. Rafael Benítez was forced to leave the dugout and plead with Mascherano to leave the field, and he was escorted down the tunnel byPeter Crouch.The Football Association ruled that the usual one-game suspension be increased to three games for improper conduct.[43] Mascherano admitted the improper conduct charge levelled at him, but appealed the further two-to-three-match suspension.[44] This appeal was denied bythe FA, however,[45] and Mascherano was also fined £15,000; he demanded that this fine would be paid to a charity.[46]
With the controversial incident behind him, Mascherano would play a role in Liverpool's 2–1 win over Manchester United at Anfield on 13 September 2008, although he was at fault for failing to cover countryman Carlos Tevez, who scored for United less than three minutes into the game. Mascherano made amends for his mistake, and was instrumental in creating the goal which put Liverpool 2–1 up. Mascherano was voted Man of the Match by the fans on Liverpool's official website.[47]
On 28 August 2010, Mascherano agreed terms on a four-year contract with Barcelona for €24 million.[48] On 30 August 2010, Mascherano passed his medical to complete his transfer and told Barça TV, "The truth is it's a dream, it's a great joy."[49] He made hisleague debut on 11 September 2010, starting in a 0–2 home defeat against recently promotedHércules, marking the first defeat at theCamp Nou in 16 months. Mascherano had a mixed season at the Camp Nou, spending the first half of the season mainly coming off the bench but for the latter part playing out of position in a centre-back role. On 28 May 2011, Mascherano started alongsideGerard Piqué in the2011 Champions League final againstManchester United at theWembley Stadium. Barcelona went on to win the game 3–1, with Mascherano dedicating the win to Liverpool fans, some of which he had upset during his move. In the run to the final, Mascherano denied Arsenal'sNicklas Bendtner a certain goal with a sliding tackle towards the end of the second leg of the round of 16 match, with theCatalan giants beating the Gunners 3–1, 4–3 on aggregate.
In his second season, Mascherano played almost exclusively as acentre-back, putting in consistent performances starting regularly for Barcelona in defence.
On 26 July 2012, Mascherano signed a contract extension, keeping him with theBlaugrana until 2016. His buyout clause was set at €100 million.[50] On 7 June 2014, Mascherano signed an extension on his contract, tying him to the Catalan club until 2018 and keeping his buyout clause at €100 million.[51]
Upon club captainXavi's departure in 2015, Mascherano was named the 4th captain of Barcelona for the2015-16 season behindAndrés Iniesta,Lionel Messi andSergio Busquets. On 27 July 2016, Mascherano signed a new contract with Barcelona, which would keep him at the club until 2019.[54]
On 26 April 2017, Mascherano scored his first and only goal for Barcelona, a penalty kick in aLa Liga match againstOsasuna.[55]
On 23 January 2018, Barcelona announced that Mascherano would leave the club after seven and a half seasons.[56]
On 23 November 2019, it was announced that Mascherano would be joining Argentine clubEstudiantes in January 2020 on a free transfer.[61] He made his official debut in aleague match againstSan Lorenzo on 25 January 2020, which ended in a 1–1 draw.
On 15 November 2020, Mascherano announced his retirement as a professional footballer.[62]
Mascherano's first international appearance came in 2001. September of that year saw him play on the Argentina team that finished fourth in the2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship. In June 2003, he played at theToulon Tournament, becoming the competition's best player asArgentina's under-20s finished 3rd.[63]
Mascherano's impact at youth levels was such that he made his senior international debut before playing a single minute for River Plate's first team (due to his central midfield position at club level being occupied by River's long standing captainLeonardo Astrada, nicknamedthe Chief). That international debut came in a friendly againstUruguay on 16 July 2003.[64]
In January 2004, Mascherano joined up withArgentina U23 for the South American Pre-Olímpico tournament in Chile. Argentina won the tournament, thereby qualifying for the2004 Summer Olympics. In August, Mascherano and the team went on to becomegold medal-winners in Greece.[66]
At the end of the 2003–04 season, Mascherano was included in theArgentina senior squad for the2004 Copa América. Argentina lost toBrazil on penalties in the final, but Mascherano impressed enough to be voted Argentina's player of the tournament by his teammates.[65]
In the2006 World Cup, Mascherano played every minute of every match for Argentina, with the team being eliminated byGermany in the quarter-finals.
His first two goals for the senior Argentina team came in July 2007 during the2007 Copa América. On 5 July, he scored the only goal in Argentina's final group stage match againstParaguay, which saw them finish in first place in their group with nine points.[67] On 8 July, he scored a goal in a 4–0 victory overPeru in the quarter-finals.[68] Argentina went on to reach thefinal of the tournament, where they suffered a 3–0 defeat to Brazil on 15 July.[69][70] Mascherano's outstanding performance at the tournament saw him widely selected as the best Argentine player in a squad full of stars.[71]
On 8 June 2008, Mascherano received his first red card for the national team after receiving two yellow cards in a match against theUnited States. He was sent off in the 86th minute of the match, which finished 0–0.[72]
Later that year, Mascherano was selected to representArgentina under-23 squad at2008 Olympic Games inBeijing as anoverage player. He was thrilled at the call-up, saying, "It's important for any athlete to defend the gold medal. I might be the only person from my country ever to do it and I'll go down in history."[73] Argentina won the tournament, making Mascherano the first Argentine sportsman ever to win two Olympic gold medals.[74][75]
Soon after being appointed head coach of Argentina in November 2008,Diego Maradona announced that he wanted Mascherano to be the team'scaptain. "I want Mascherano to be my captain because I believe he is the Argentinian player who is closest to the idea I have about the Argentinian shirt – sweat for it, sacrifice for it, being a professional, being close to the team-mate," Maradona said. "I will convince him. He will be my captain."[76]
Mascherano was appointed the new Argentina captain on 10 November, replacingJavier Zanetti.[77] At the2010 World Cup, Argentina was captained by Messi, who became Argentina's youngest World Cup captain and reached the quarter-finals where they were again eliminated by Germany, 4–0.[78] He only missed the last match of the group stage against Greece.
Mascherano captained Argentina during the2011 Copa América on home soil, but the team were defeated by Uruguay at the quarter-final stage.[79] In August 2011, Mascherano was replaced as Argentina captain byLionel Messi, who was appointed to the role by new managerAlejandro Sabella.[80] Mascherano became vice-captain in the national squad.[81]
In the2014 World Cup, Mascherano played his100th international match for Argentina in a match againstIran, whichla Albiceleste won 1–0.[82] During the tournament, Messi wore the captain's armband and commentators often described the team as Messi plus ten other players, however Mascherano was the squad'sde facto leader and midfield general.[83][84] Mascherano asserted himself vocally, especially during the knockout rounds, where the media described him as Argentina's best player after Messi's prolific scoring stagnated after the group stage.[85] During Argentina's World Cupsemi-final against theNetherlands, Mascherano was knocked unconscious by a header contested byGeorginio Wijnaldum and was led off the pitch with a suspected concussion, although he resumed play moments later. In stoppage time, Mascherano tore hisanus making a goal-saving slide tackle onArjen Robben.[81][86] Argentina would go on to advance to the final in a penalty shootout, with goalkeeperSergio Romero saving kicks fromRon Vlaar andWesley Sneijder. Thanks to Mascherano's prowess as a defensive midfielder and leader, Argentina entered the final having not conceded a goal in 330 minutes during elimination games, as well as never having trailed in the tournament.[87]
On 11 July, Mascherano was named on the ten-man shortlist for FIFA'sGolden Ball award for the tournament's best player.[88] He recorded the most tackles of any player at the tournament (30) and the third-most passes (576 at a success rate of 89%), playing in every minute of Argentina's campaign.[79][89] In theFinal, Argentina lost 1–0 to Germany after extra time, withMario Götze scoring in the 113th minute.[90]
In May 2018, Mascherano was named inJorge Sampaoli's final 23-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[91] He earned his 143rd cap in a 4–0 friendly win againstHaiti on 29 May 2018, equalingJavier Zanetti's record for the most appearances for Argentina.[92] His 144th cap came in Argentina's opening match at the World Cup, a 1–1 draw againstIceland on 16 June 2018, thus becoming the sole most capped player in the country's history.[93]
On 30 June 2018, following Argentina's elimination from the World Cup after a 4–3 loss againstFrance in theRound of 16, Mascherano announced his retirement from international football, having obtained 147 caps and scored 3 goals for his country.[94]
In December 2021, Mascherano was named manager of theArgentina under-20 team, taking over the side in early January.[95] He led the national team at the2024 Summer Olympics, where Argentina was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Nicknamed "El Jefecito" ("The Little Chief"),[97][98] Mascherano was a versatile, hard-working, and tactically intelligent footballer, with an excellent ability to read the game and organise his team; he was known in particular for his leadership skills, passing accuracy, energy, positional sense, tough marking of opponents, and hard-tackling style of play, despite his relatively small physical stature. Considered as one of the best defenders and defensive midfielders of his generation, although he has primarily served as either aholding midfielder orcentral defender throughout his career, he has also been deployed as aright-back or even as abox-to-box orcentral midfielder on occasion.[99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106] Regarding Mascherano's playing style,Jonathan Wilson noted in a 2013 article forThe Guardian that the Argentine was an example of a type of holding midfielder that he dubbed adestroyer, who "clattered about making tackles and collecting bookings, his role almost entirely of regaining possession and distributing it simply."[107]
In October 2015, Mascherano admitted two counts of fraud totalling just over €1.5 million having failed to declare €1.5 million in earnings in 2011 and 2012.[108][109] In January 2016, he appeared in court in an attempt to avoid imprisonment for the offences, and was fined €800,000.[110][111][112] He was sentenced to one year in prison for evasion of tax payments.[113] The sentence was suspended and resulted in no jail time served, provided he did not offend again during the suspended sentence.[114]
^华夏官方宣布巴萨铁腰加盟 将披14号球衣战中超.Sina Sport (in Chinese (China)). 24 January 2018. Retrieved24 January 2018.
^传奇继续！阿根廷功勋队长马斯切拉诺加盟河北华夏幸福 [Legend continues: Argentine trophies-winning captain Mascherano joins Hebei China Fortune] (Press release) (in Chinese (China)). Hebei China Fortune F.C. 24 January 2018. Archived fromthe original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved24 January 2018.
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