‘I called my agent… my story ended’ – The day Javier Mascherano knew he had to leave Barcelona
JAVIER MASCHERANO has revealed the day he knew that his Barcelona career was over and he had to leave.
The Argentine arrived at the Nou Camp in 2010 following a three-year spell at Liverpool.
The midfielder made 203 appearances for the Catalan giants scoring once and won La Liga and the Champions League during his time at the club.
Despite having a successful spell at Barcelona Mascherano knew when it was time to move on.
Speaking to Spanish outlet Sport the 38-year-old recalled the moment he had to leave the club.
He said: ” I saw Umtiti train the first day, I called my representative and I told him: “Walter, my story at Barça ended, here is someone who is from another level.”
He added: “I have made thousands of errors in my career but if I had something, it is that I have always been a teammate. In the last days of Luis Enrique I had lost my edge.”
The former Liverpool man arrived knowing it would be tough to displace Sergio Busquets and had to re invent himself as a centre half to earn his place in the side.
Mascherano admitted when he signed that he wasn’t a player for Pep Guardiola’s style.
He said: “I was not a player for Pep’s style. That was the reality and I knew it.”
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The midfielder eventually left Barcelona in 2018 to join Chinese side Hebei China Fortune where he spent a season.
The Argentine returned to his homeland signing for Estudiantes where he made ten appearances before retiring.
Mascherano made a total of 436 appearances in his career scoring two goals.