Javier Mascherano has reflected on playing alongside Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso at Liverpool and revealed his managerial aspirations for the future.
Javier Mascherano has admitted he still picks apart some of his performances for Liverpool.
The Reds signed the Argentina international on loan in February 2007 after he had made just seven appearances for West Ham United. He’d sign for Liverpool permanently 12 months later in an £18.6m deal, ending his association with Media Sports Investments in the process.
Establishing himself as a firm fan-favourite at Anfield, he memorably formed one-third of the Reds’ fan-proclaimed ‘best midfield in the world’ alongside Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso.
Mascherano has in the past confessed he played his best football at Liverpool, despite spending a trophy-laden eight years with Barcelona after leaving Anfield in a £20m deal in August 2010.
Yet he admits he was fortunate to play alongside Gerrard and Alonso, admitting he is unimpressed with his own performances when he watches back his old Liverpool games.
“Liverpool’s Mascherano was physically brutal but out of five balls, he gave three to his rivals,” he chuckled. “Sometimes I watch my games in Liverpool and say: ‘What a way to lose balls.’
“It happens that I had the ability to recover and I was very lucky with the teammates I had. In that midfield I played with Xabi Alonso and Gerrard, I only had to run to give it to them who would then take care of the rest.”
Mascherano revealed he has loved European football since an early age, much to the bemusement of his friends at the time, with one former Liverpool star partly responsible for the Argentine’s obsession with the beautiful game.
“In ‘94 or ‘95 I sat down at five in the afternoon to watch the Champions League,” he recalled to Ole. At that time, they only showed one game .
“My friends couldn’t understand it, back then they didn’t watch football as much from outside (of Argentina). There were almost no Argentinians.
“I was eight or nine years old and I got up in the morning to watch Van Gaal’s Ajax with Danny Blind, Jari Litmanen (who would later join Liverpool in 2001), Finidi George. Since I was a child I have been a total freak with football.”
Mascherano retired from football in 2020 before being appointed Argentina Under-20s manager the following year, and will lead them at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
The 39-year-old has spent time shadowing his former Barcelona manager, Pep Guardiola, since moving into the dugout, while he still seeks advice from his former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez. And while he is enjoying his current role, Mascherano admits he has ambitions to move into club management in the future.
“Before the Under-20 World Cup, when we went to Europe to see the situation of each of the boys, I was able to spend a few days in Manchester with Pep (Guardiola),” he revealed. “We talked in depth about a lot of things again, and I took advantage of that.
“I was lucky to have always had a good relationship with the coaches and I have quite fluid contact with Rafa (Benítez), with Luis Enrique.
“With Pep, I try to find the moments. Sometimes I am embarrassed to ask because they are guys who are in another level.
“Today I enjoy where I am. I think I am in the best place I can be and I don’t know how long I can last as a coach – 20 years, 30, two months, five months… No. I know.
“I can’t be thinking about my career like that today, it doesn’t make sense. Today I’m here, I enjoy it, I think it helps me a lot and then we’ll see what happens.
“Yes, one day I would like to manage a team, that’s clear to me, but I’m not saying this or the other. It would even seem arrogant to me to do so.”
