Javier Mascherano is 30 on Sunday. The Barça number 14 has made 184 senior appearances since arriving from Liverpool in the summer of 2011. In the season just finished, he took part in 44 matches.
In a relatively short space of time with Barça, Mascherano has won no fewer than nine titles, including the Champions League (2011), two Spanish league titles (2011 and 2013), three Spanish Super Cups (2011, 2012 and 2014) and a World Club Cup (2011).
Before signing for FC Barcelona, Mascherano played in a defensive midfield role but the then manager, Pep Guardiola, converted him into a central defender, a position he’s made his own ever since.
Mascherano is one of 13 Barça players taking part in the Brazil World Cup. He’ll spend his birthday with his team-mates of the Argentine squad who played their last warm-up friendly against Slovenia on Saturday.
