Javier Mascherano, a former Argentine international player for Barcelona, did not want to advise his former teammate and friend Leo Messi about the decision to leave the Barça club or not at the end of the current season.
«I would never dare to advise Leo on anything. They are totally personal decisions that he, within his family and personally, will have to decide. As a friend I will support the decision he makes, but I would never dare to give advice on what to do, “Mascherano said during his presentation as the new LaLiga Santander ambassador.
«I see it well. Beyond the fact that Barcelona is not going through its best sporting moment, his body language and his performances throughout the season have not changed compared to what he has been doing for fifteen years, in that sense I see him very well, “he commented.
Mascherano admits that he misses playing with him: «It is strange not to play with him and it suffers. When you get used to having the best by your side, if you don’t have them… football is a collective sport and the higher the quality of your teammates, the better your performance will be ».
«When you leave Barcelona, you start to experience the reality of football itself. Many times when we meet former teammates we say that playing there was wonderful for what we had to live, but at the same time it is a very big void when you leave it. In that sense you also suffer, “he added.
In that sense, he stated: “It is a special club, with a very strong philosophy and style. It is not easy to find in other places a club as rooted in a philosophy as Barcelona. When you go to other places it is difficult to readjust ».
He also believes that the competition could be restored to a departure from Messi: «The players sooner or later end up leaving or retiring. The maximum capital of the league are the clubs and LaLiga has very great clubs with a lot of history and a lot of tradition. Clubs that have been champions of Europe, world. They will continue to be there, trying to bring the quality of players from around the world.
Also Barcelona, which seems to have good successors: «Both Pedri, Trincao, and Ansu Fati are guys with great projection. It is not easy to play at this level at 18 or 19 years old, have a regularity and be the starter of a team like Barcelona. I know that the projection is very big from what Leo and other boys in the dressing room have told me. They are young people who want to continue growing, to continue empowering themselves. I hope they can do very well.
Despite this, the team gives the feeling of going through difficulties in defense: “Being away, I don’t like to publicly comment on what one can see. What I do know is that playing defense for Barcelona is never easy, you are always taking risks and you have to be very focused because you pay a very high price for a mistake ».
“Then there is a coach who has to dedicate himself more than anything to that and I do not have to be the one who makes the mistakes or why the defense works,” he added in a ceremony in which he was accompanied by Fernando Sanz and Fernando Redondo.
On the other hand, he acknowledged that he would like to see his compatriot David Ayala in Spanish football, which he praised: “LaLiga has been in the last decade a school for coaches, a style of how to develop and play football.”
“It’s sitting down to watch a LaLiga game and knowing that quality will be prioritized, that the pitches will be good and that a good show will be put on. I think it is good that in South America they can generate alliances to continue promoting our leagues, “he concluded.
As for Redondo, he celebrated the incorporation of the former midfielder to this project. Meanwhile, Sanz detailed what it means to act as an ambassador: «It means recognition of the trajectory in LaLiga. It is also a responsibility because the message will be heard by many people. EFE (HN).