Javier Mascherano: A converted character

Dubai: It may be not be a derby in the truest sense of the word due to the different locations of the two clubs, but Manchester United versus Liverpool remains as passionate and feisty an encounter as any in world football between teams from the same city.

And there was no greater embodiment of seething hatred, born of years of hegemony in English football for either side and stoked by provocative outbursts from managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez, than Javier Mascherano’s extraordinary temper tantrum on March 23, 2008.

A picture of unconfined rage, Mascherano, now of Barcelona, was sent off by referee Steve Bennett for constantly haranguing him over decisions the Argentine consistently and argumentatively disagreed with.

Extraordinary scenes ensued as Mascherano refused to leave the field, leading to his manager Benitez dragging him down the touchline as if he were a naughty toddler and into the dressing room.

Aided by their man advantage, United went on to seal a comfortable 3-0 victory over their bitter rivals, and Mascherano received a three-match ban, £15,000 fine from the English Football Association and withering condemnation aplenty from fans and pundits alike.

Fast forward three years to May 2011 and Mascherano, having left Liverpool for Barcelona in the summer of 2010, faced United again — this time in the Champions League final at Wembley.

Once again, United were expected to profit handsomely from the Argentine’s perceived frailty — on this occasion, his lack of experience in central defence, where he was deployed due to an injury to Barcelona’s talismanic captain, Carles Puyol.

Due to his small stature (he is diminutive in defensive terms at only 5ft 9ins tall) and given the fact that he would be facing a potent front-line of the irrepressible Wayne Rooney and the Mexican livewire Javier Hernandez, Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola’s bold move to play Mascherano alongside Gerard Pique was regarded as sheer folly.

However, as it transpired, rather than being run ragged by United’s roving twosome, Mascherano proved the doubters wrong and played with calm assurance in a largely error-free display in Barcelona’s 3-1 masterclass.

These wildly contrasting performances against the same opponents serve as glowing testimony to the maturity Mascherano has acquired over the years — and prove that appearances most certainly are deceptive.

When Gulf News met Mascherano in Barcelona for an exclusive interview, rather than being confronted by the man who was railing against the world in 2008, the slightly built midfielder-cum-defender was courteous and polite — and insisted in conducting the interview in reasonable English when he had recourse to a translator.

His agent, Diego Sambucetti, was also anxious to clear up any misconceptions of this occasionally misunderstood character, insisting Mascherano is a football obsessive, whose fierce will to win can, at times, lead to combustible episodes.

“He likes to play football games on the PS3 and the truth is that his life is about and for football,” Sambucetti said.

“He’s always ready for a good conversation about football, strategies and tactics etc. He’s also very good person with very good values about life and people and, as a good Argentine, very passionate and with a lot of temperament — too much sometimes. You can see and feel this in his play during the game. Sometimes this is bad because it gives the image that you mention, the same as some English fans still have about him. But the truth is that he’s a really nice guy. He’s very responsible with his training, almost obsessive. Being in a good shape and ready to play always, this is a priority for him. And by the way, Javier and his wife are very, very, very funny.”

It was as compelling and sincere a character appraisal that you could wish to have and this, added to Mascherano’s affable demeanour when I met him, certainly debunked any myths about him being surly and disagreeable.

Yet some football experts remain unconvinced about another aspect of Mascherano’s make-up — that of his ability to cope in his new and unfamiliar role.

Granted, like many a top professional he has committed costly errors in crucial games, including lapses of concentration to let Chelsea score twice and eliminate Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals in 2012.

But, overall, he has regularly performed with cool aplomb, particularly impressing with his immaculately timed tackling — a perfect example of which was his sliding challenge to prevent Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner from scoring at the Nou Camp and knocking Barcelona out of the 2011 Champions League.

Mascherano himself admits his new role remains a challenge, but insists it is one that does not unduly faze him.

“At the beginning, it was very strange,” he says. “I hadn’t played in that position before. But now I can say that I feel good. In another team it would be harder, but I get confidence from my teammates.

“My greatest challenge? For me it’s my [small] physique and when the ball comes in the air from long balls and set-pieces. Barcelona play in a way which is very different to other teams, with a high defensive line and 50 or 60 metres [of space] behind. You always have to be clever and concentrated. It’s high risk but I enjoy it.”

Fortunately, though, Barcelona have the incomparable Lionel Messi at their disposal to plunder goals galore and help compensate for their occasional defensive shortcomings.

The 29-year-old is a close friend of Messi and therefore unsurprisingly is happy to offer a paean of praise to his teammate’s celestial gifts.

“He’s maybe the greatest player in the history of the sport,” he said. “Of all the players that I have watched, he is the best.”

I remind him that, in a British television documentary about Messi in 2011, he compared the little genius to an “assassin”.

Mascherano said: “Yes, I said he was like a killer. I mean that he has that mentality, when he gets into the penalty box, as a killer. When he goes straight to the goal, it’s very difficult to see him miss. All the time he wants more.

“For me and other teammates, he’s an example. To see the best in the world training hard, you feel you have to train as hard as him.”

While he may be as rapacious a footballer as you could wish to meet due to his insatiable lust for goals, Messi is the polar opposite off the pitch, Mascherano points out.

He said: “He’s very quiet and very natural. He’s a normal person. He tries to live very quietly with his family. We try to enjoy time together and have a lunch with our families when we have free day. We are professional and we try to live for football. But when we have time, we try to enjoy time with the family.”

Mascherano is also confident that he and Messi can taste World Cup glory with their country Argentina at this summer’s showpiece in Brazil.

“We have great players and I’m very optimistic for what lies ahead,” he said. “It could be the best time in our lives, Messi and I. We know that it’s going to be very difficult and when we play in the national team we play in another way from Barcelona, but we have the best player in the world.”

The pair played under Messi’s predecessor as Argentina’s talisman, Diego Maradona, at the 2010 World Cup.

Mascherano captained the Albicelestes (sky blue and whites) in South Africa, where Maradona’s wild gesticulations allied to some brilliant play from his star-studded outfit lit up the tournament and raised expectations that the South Americans could replicate their 1978 and 1986 global successes.

But they were no match, both physically and tactically, for the rampant Germans, who ran out overwhelming 4-0 winners in the quarter-finals.

Despite this disappointment, Mascherano can dine out forever on the eulogy offered by current Dubai sports ambassador Maradona when he became Argentina coach in 2008.

He said: “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 teammate.”

While Mascherano is not one to hark back to past glories, he retains happy memories of his three-and-half-year stint at Liverpool, whom he joined after a short spell at West Ham.

And it certainly was a reciprocal love affair, for the Argentine became a cult hero on the Kop due to his wholehearted commitment and passion, resulting in Liverpool fans singing his name to the tune of the White Stripes’ anthem ‘Seven Nation Army’.

After Barcelona beat Manchester United in the Champions League final, Mascherano 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.”

Of his memorable time at Anfield, where he was a runner-up in the 2007 Champions League final to AC Milan, he added to Gulf News: “It was a very good experience, one of my best moments of my life. The people in Liverpool treated me really, really well. I love the city and the team. The atmosphere at Anfield was fantastic and every time the fans are pushing the team on – it’s fantastic. I had a lot of great nights in the Champions League.”

Mascherano left Liverpool in the summer of 2010, following in the footsteps of Rafa Benitez, a coach with whom he shares a great relationship and someone to whom he talks regularly.

Are the rumours true, then, that Mascherano would consider teaming up with the current Napoli manager, who once praised the Argentine for being a ‘monster’ due to his fierce desire to succeed on the football pitch?

Mascherano, who has credited the Spaniard for teaching him tactical discipline, said: “I am definitely staying at Barcelona. I talk to Benitez because we share a great relationship. In a club like Barca, you always have to fight for your place, and this year will be no exception. Our new manager Gerado Martino has shown in a short time that he is a great coach with clear ideas. My aim is to keep winning trophies here.”

While Mascherano may have had to alter and refine both his character and responsibilities on the football pitch, it is clear after meeting him that his winning mentality and deep devotion to football will never change.