BRASILIA // Barcelona fans enjoying Javier Mascherano's brilliant World Cup performances in midfield for Argentina have probably been asking why the defender does not play there for the Camp Nou team.
After he moved to the Primera Liga from Liverpool in 2010, then-Barca coach Pep Guardiola converted Mascherano into a centre-back, where he has sometimes looked out of his depth and his lack of height is a severe handicap.
The player nicknamed "Jefecito" (Little Chief) still plays in his old midfield holding role for his country and his hugely impressive displays in Brazil are a big reason why Argentina are preparing to play in Sunday's final against Germany.
"It was Mascherano and 10 others," former Argentina captain Diego Maradona said after Wednesday's semi-final victory on penalties over the Netherlands.
Although his teammate, Lionel Messi, has been grabbing most of the headlines, the tireless Mascherano has been perhaps the best performer in his position at the World Cup and is a calm and reliable presence at the heart of the Argentine team.
He covers immense swathes of the pitch, rarely misplaces a pass, looks comfortable moving forward with the ball and is a ferocious tackler, likened to a "pit bull" by Maradona.
One moment that summed up his contribution came in Wednesday's semi-final against the Netherlands when he raced across and flung himself full length to block an Arjen Robben shot on goal.
It was all the more impressive as Mascherano had been close to being substituted earlier in the match after a clash of heads with an opponent left him reeling.
The 30-year-old midfielder, who has 104 international caps and is the only Argentine to have won two Olympic football gold medals, has accumulated impressive statistics at the finals.
He has the best pass-completion rate (86.6 per cent) and has made the most tackles (28).
Against the Dutch, he had more touches of the ball than any player in his team (104) and has played all 600 minutes of Argentina's six matches in the tournament.
As well as his playing contribution, Mascherano is a heavyweight in the dressing room and clearly has the respect of his teammates, including captain Messi, a colleague at Barca.
Moments before Wednesday's shootout, Mascherano was captured on camera telling goalkeeper Sergio Romero: "Today you are going to be a hero."
Romero was indeed the hero as he saved two Dutch spot-kicks and Mascherano shed tears of joy after Maxi Rodriguez scored the decisive penalty to send Argentina into the final.
"We hope to crown it on Sunday with the title, but beyond that I am just proud of this squad," Mascherano said.
"It is a dream for all of us, giving Argentina this chance again.
"We played a brilliant match, we didn't fear anything even though we knew that on Sunday we could be playing the match of our lives."
Javier Mascherano takes centre stage for Argentina ahead of World Cup final
Diego Maradona among the plaudits for the man demonstrating his play in midfield rather than in defence.
Most popular today
