Argentine football player Javier Mascherano is well-known for his skill as a defensive midfielder. He has excelled in a position previously held by the greatest players of that illustrious team, including Americo Ruben Gallego, Reinaldo Carlos Merlo, Leonardo Astrada, and Matias Almeyda. He is widely regarded as one of the last great players to emerge from the junior ranks of the River Plate football club. He is known as “EI Jefecito,” which means “the tiny chief,” and is regarded for his outstanding leadership abilities, as well as his capacity to identify players, develop plans, coordinate team members, and understand games. He is a central midfielder who plays deep and is well-regarded by his teammates for his seamless blocking and dismantling of the other team’s attacking plays. He is praised for his propensity to hold back despite having exceptional shooting and counterattacking passing ability. He has played for a number of clubs over his career, including River Plate, Corinthians, West Ham United, Liverpool, and Barcelona. At the urging of Argentine football great Diego Maradona, he has also led his country’s squad as captain, and he has done it fairly well. His team has advanced to the quarterfinals of both the FIFA World Cup and Copa America.
Early Childhood & Life
Javier Alejandro Mascherano was born on June 8, 1984, to Teodolinda Chiche Tagliaro and Oscar Mascherano in San Lorenzo, Sante Fe, Argentina.
He was known to have been a hyperactive child who loved nothing more than to play football as a young child. He eventually succeeded in getting a spot at the elite River Plate sports club.
Worldwide Career of Javier Mascherano
Prior to making his club debut, Javier Mascherano made his debut on the international stage. In 2001, he participated in his maiden international match. He later competed for Argentina in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, when they finished fourth.
Mascherano was crucial to the under-23 Argentinian team’s triumph at the South American Pre-Olympics competition in January 2004. They were able to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece as a result, and they ultimately won the gold medal there.
He was chosen to be a member of the senior Argentina team for the 2004 Copa América, which ultimately fell to Brazil in the championship game.
In all of Argentina’s games during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Mascherano participated fully. In the quarterfinals, host nation Germany ultimately eliminated his team.
At the Copa America tournament in July 2007, Mascherano scored his first goal on the international stage. He was chosen as the finest Argentine player in the competition since he not only scored two goals but also played outstandingly the entire time.
He played for the Argentinian football team, which won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He, therefore, became the first football player to win two gold medals in the Summer Olympics for men since 1968.
When Argentine great Diego Maradona took over as the team’s head coach in November 2008, he made it clear that the first thing he wanted to do was name Mascherano the team’s captain.
Both the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2011 Copa America were led by Mascherano’s squad. At both events, they were ousted in the quarterfinal round. He was made the national team’s vice-captain in August 2011 when Lionel Messi took over as captain.
Against Iran in a group stage encounter of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he made his 100th appearance for his country. Argentina advanced to the championship game but fell to Germany 1-0. Mascherano was nominated for the FIFA Golden Ball award despite having the third-lowest number of passes and the record-high number of tackles (30), the most ever made by a player at the tournament.
League Career of Javier Mascherano
Before Mascherano had even taken the field for River Plate, he had already made his entire international debut. Mascherano was elevated to the first team by River Plate Coach Basile due to his outstanding achievements at the U-20 World Cup. This choice was wise because he helped River Plate win the 2003–04 Clausura championship.
Mascherano attracted the notice of a number of elite clubs after a promising start to his professional career with River Plate. However, none of these transfers took place since River Plate was not happy with any of the bids given by these clubs.
River’s season in 2004–05 wasn’t a successful one. Mascherano was purchased by the Brazilian team Corinthians for $15 million at the end of this terrible season.
Mascherano signed with English team West Ham United for an undisclosed sum just hours before the 2006 transfer window closed, despite being pursued by many of Europe’s top clubs. The length of his stay there was, however, cut short by issues with the transfer process.
Mascherano was formally added to Liverpool’s roster on February 20, 2007. He was crucial in getting them to that year’s Champions League Final when they fell to AC Milan 2-1. Mascherano, who had his own song, was a huge fan favorite in Liverpool.
Mascherano was dismissed from the game against Manchester United on March 23, 2008, after earning two consecutive yellow cards. It was his debut game at Old Trafford. Mascherano needed to be led from of the field because he was unwilling to leave. For his illegal behavior, the Football Association fined him £15,000 and suspended him for three games.
Mascherano made his debut for Barcelona on September 11, 2010, after agreeing to a four-year, 24 million euro contract. Even though the team has won many championships, Mascherano didn’t score his first goal for them until a La Liga match against Osasuna on April 26, 2017.
Mascherano was signed by Chinese club Hebei China Fortune on January 24, 2018, despite having a new contract with Barcelona that was to last until 2019. While playing for Barcelona, Mascherano won multiple competitions, including two Champions Leagues, four La Liga titles, four Spanish Super Cups, and two FIFA Club World Cups.
Recognition & Achievements
Javier Mascherano has consistently been chosen by his teammates as the most outstanding player on the team as a result of his outstanding performances for his nation at big tournaments (Copa America and the FIFA World Cup).
Mascherano is the only other athlete from Argentina to have ever won two Olympic gold medals (the other being polo player Juan Nelson). Mascherano assisted Barcelona in winning numerous championships while he was a member of the team. There are two FIFA Club World Cups, four La Liga, two Spanish Super Cups, and two Champions League events.
Personal Legacy & Life
Mascherano pleaded guilty to two fraud charges in October 2016 after failing to report his profits from 2011 to 2012. Mascherano initially received a one-year prison term for his crimes, but he was able to avoid serving any time in prison by winning his appeal.
Javier Mascherano Net Worth
Argentine professional soccer player Javier Mascherano has a $40 million dollar fortune. River Plate was where Javier Mascherano spent his formative years before being called up to the team’s senior squad in 2003. He was purchased by Corinthians from River Plate in 2005 for $15 million. He subsequently spent a season playing at West Ham United before signing an $18.6 million Euro contract with Liverpool, where he stayed from 2007 to 2010. He agreed to a four-year, $24 million Euro contract with FC Barcelona in 2010. In 2012 and 2014, he agreed to extensions that included a buyback clause worth €100 million. Javier has won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Copa del Rey, Brazilian Serie A, La Liga, Supercopa de Espana, and Primera Division Argentina. Since 2003, he has competed for Argentina on the world stage. He has played more than 100 times for his nation. He participated in 2006, 2010, and 2014 World Cups. Additionally, he participated in the Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008, winning both of them to become the first male soccer player since 1968 to win two gold medals. From 2008 until 2011, he served as Argentina’s captain, and in 2014, he led Argentina to the FIFA World Cup finals.