Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi acknowledged the impact of Javier Mascherano on both the Argentine national team and Barcelona via his message to him upon the announcement of his retirement from football last month. Messi was one of several high-profile players who sent a congratulatory message to Javier Mascherano on his retirement.
Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano played for both Barcelona and Argentina together for many years between 2010 and 2018. Javier Mascherano left Liverpool to sign for Barcelona in a €24m deal in 2010 as he teamed up with his compatriot Messi at the Nou Camp. He left Barcelona two years ago in the same summer that he announced his retirement from international football.
Javier Mascherano holds the record for the most appearance in the history of the Argentina national team after playing 147 times for the two-time world champions between 2003 and 2018. His record is under threat from Lionel Messi who has made 142 appearances for Argentina and he's showing no signs of weariness to suggest that the petite player would soon retire from international finally.
Javier Mascherano announced his retirement last month at the age of 36 after a glittering career that took him to clubs in South America and Europe. He has been a professional player for almost two decades. His career took off at River Plate in his native Argentina before moving to Brazilian side Corinthians. Javier Mascherano moved to West Ham United from Corinthians alongside compatriot Carlos Tevez. He signed for Liverpool in 2007 and went on to play for Barcelona, Hebei China Fortune in China and finally Estudiantes in his native Argentina.