mascherano · Biography

Javier Alejandro Mascherano won his first trophy in January 2003 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, where Argentina clinched the South American U-20 Championship with a 1-0 win over Colombia on the final matchday. He lifted the trophy as co-captain alongside Hugo Colace, before he had played a single first-division game. Born on 8 June 1984 in San Lorenzo, in the province of Santa Fe, he played as a defensive midfielder and later as a centre-back, and went on to coach Argentina's youth teams and Inter Miami.

Early years and youth football

He started out at two clubs in his hometown, Cerámica San Lorenzo and Barrio Vila. At 14, Jorge Solari brought him to Club Renato Cesarini in Rosario, an academy that sent him on to River Plate's youth system. In Buenos Aires he won the seventh-division title and worked his way through the age groups to the first team.

River Plate and Corinthians

His career began with an unusual twist: he played for the senior national team before playing in the league. He made his Argentina debut on 16 July 2003 in a 2-2 draw with Uruguay in La Plata, and his first River appearance came on 3 August that year in a 2-1 win over Nueva Chicago. River reached the final of the 2003 Copa Sudamericana, and in 2004 he won the Clausura title. His last game for the club was on 3 July 2005.

In July 2005 he was unveiled by Corinthians, who paid around 15 million dollars. In Brazil he won the 2005 Campeonato Brasileiro and played 31 matches before moving to Europe.

West Ham and Liverpool

On 30 August 2006 he joined West Ham United in a deal that also brought his compatriot Carlos Tévez to east London. Chances were scarce, and in the winter window he moved to Liverpool, making his debut on 24 February 2007 against Sheffield United. A few months later he started the 2007 Champions League final in Athens, which Rafael Benítez's side lost 2-1 to AC Milan.

In February 2008 he signed a permanent contract at Anfield. He settled in as a holding midfielder and made 139 competitive appearances, scoring twice, before leaving in the summer of 2010.

FC Barcelona

On 27 August 2010 FC Barcelona agreed a fee of 24 million euros with Liverpool. In his first half-season he came mostly off the bench, but he soon began playing at centre-back, and in 2011-12 he played almost exclusively in that position. At the Camp Nou he won 19 trophies: five La Liga titles (2010-11, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2017-18), five Copas del Rey (2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18), three Spanish Super Cups (2011, 2013 and 2016), two Champions League titles (2010-11 and 2014-15), two UEFA Super Cups (2011 and 2015) and two Club World Cups (2011 and 2015).

It took him almost seven seasons to score his only goal for the club, a penalty against Osasuna on 26 April 2017. On 23 January 2018 Barcelona announced his departure after seven and a half seasons, and the next day he joined Hebei China Fortune, where he played 51 games and scored once.

Argentina national team

For the senior national team he made 147 appearances and scored 3 goals. With the Olympic side he won gold at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. With the senior team he lost four Copa America finals, in 2004, 2007, 2015 and 2016, and started all seven matches at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where Argentina lost the final to Germany. After the elimination at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he announced his international retirement on 30 June that year.

Return to Argentina and retirement

He returned to Argentine football with Estudiantes de La Plata, playing the 2019-20 and 2020 seasons. On 15 November 2020, after a 1-0 defeat to Argentinos Juniors, he announced his retirement as a player.

Coaching career

In December 2021 the Argentine FA named him U-20 head coach, a post he took up in January 2022; that year his side won the L'Alcúdia International Tournament. On 1 July 2023 he took charge of the U-23 team, which finished second at the 2024 Pre-Olympic Tournament and lost to France in the quarter-finals of the Paris 2024 Olympics. On 26 November 2024 he was appointed head coach of Inter Miami. In 2025 he won the Eastern Conference and the MLS Cup, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in the final for the club's first league title. On 14 April 2026 Inter Miami announced that he had stepped down for personal reasons.