“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 team-mate. I will convince him. He will be my captain.” — Diego Maradona, Nov. 4, 2008
It was March 28, 2008, and Javier Mascherano lost his head. In his first match against Liverpool’s arch rivals Manchester United, Mascherano was sent off after receiving two yellow cards. He had been given his second yellow card by referee Steve Bennett because he ran across the field to protest a yellow that had been given to his teammate, Fernando Torres. The Argentine midfielder had to be pushed from the field by team captain Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso, and was escorted down the tunnel to the locker room. He was suspended for multiple matches because of his row.
Known by most for his tackling and no-nonsense approach to the game, this was the kind of trouble Mascherano once ran into. He will still do almost anything to win. He still wears the shirts of his country and clubs with pride. And sometimes, he still gets into trouble with referees and opposing players. (Mascherano had the worst disciplinary record in the Premier League during the 2009-’10 season, with seven yellow cards and two red cards.)
Despite his reputation, however, Mascherano’s leadership has never been in question, and now, during this World Cup, the entire world has seen just how good the Argentinean really is. His role as the holding midfielder, disruptor of opposing attacks and an anchor in the center of the field, has been nothing short of vital to Argentina’s performance.
With Argentina usually on the attack, someone needs to maintain the team’s defensive structure as well as control the opposition’s best players. Those responsibilities fall to Mascherano, who has handled them beautifully over the years with a combination of elegance and brute force. At this World Cup, he’s elevated his game even further, becoming a national symbol; Argentina’s talismanic leader. The man they call “The Little Chief.”
None of this comes as any surprise to Argentinian soccer fans, though. As a 19-year-old, Mascherano helped Argentina finish fourth in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, where he was the team’s best player. The following summer, he helped Argentina’s under-23 team win the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Greece. Later, Mascherano led Argentina to the finals of the 2004 Copa America tournament, which ended in a defeat on penalties to Brazil. Still, Mascherano was voted player of the tournament by his teammates, having established himself as integral to the team’s success.
He’s the consummate holding midfielder. He does the dirty work so others can paint the beautiful game in their brushstrokes.
Argentina’s “other” great player, of course, is none other than Lionel Messi. The star forward has sparkled at times, but opposing teams have been quick to foul him throughout the 2014 World Cup in an effort to crowd him out of games and hope that the other Argentinians cannot exploit the space afforded them.
As such, it’s been up to Mascherano to control play from midfield. While “doing the dirty work,” he’s also completed more passes than any other player in the tournament, and has connected at an extremely impressive 92 percent success rate, as well. Others have noticed. Mascherano has been included on FIFA’s Golden Ball shortlist as one of the tournament’s best players. This, despite the fact that he not scored a single goal.
The nomination comes as no surprise to his teammates. In the quarterfinals, Argentina struggled to control a talented Belgium side, and Mascherano took it upon himself to give the team talk that was needed. He told his teammates he no longer wanted to “eat shit,” that he was tired of being humiliated. Against the Netherlands in the semifinals, Mascherano made a goal-saving tackle on Robben in extra time that appeared to defy the laws of physics. Then, prior to that match’s shootout, he walked up to goalkeeper Sergio Romero, took him aside, and said “Today, you become a hero.” Then he gave him a kiss on the cheek and went off to take his place with his teammates.
Romero made two saves. Hero anointed. “Mascherano is a symbol, an emblem, of our national team. He took this huge weight on his shoulders,” Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella said after the game.
Now, an old nemesis stands between Argentina and renewed glory. The Argentines have lost in two consecutive World Cup quarterfinals to Germany, including an embarrasing 4-0 defeat in South Africa in 2010. Four years later, the Germans are once again the opponent, this time with everything at stake.
The Little Chief from San Lorenzo may no longer be youthful hothead he once was, but he surely recognizes that this may be his final chance to win the one trophy that has eluded him. He’s had much success at the club level, especially since his move to Barcelona in 2010, but there’s a special place in his heart for the Albiceleste.
“There in the eyes of the world is our country, our flag, returning to a World Cup final,” he says. “It’s a delight that lifts your soul. It’s something you can’t explain, it’s something I never imagined. I hope we can win on Sunday.”
If Argentina can exorcise their German demons today, on Brazilian soil, no less, Mascherano may just leave fans forgetting all about Mr. Messi. At least for one day.
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