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Mascherano, who shared the dressing room with Messi at Barcelona for nearly a decade before he left the club in 2018, had claimed that his compatriot could have been one of the world’s best defenders.
Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano. (X)
Argentina legend Javier Mascherano had once claimed that Lionel Messi could have been one of the world’s ‘best’ defenders. Mascherano is now set to reunite with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner at Inter Miami. With the club head coach Tata Martino’s surprise departure, the legendary Argentina and Barcelona defender has been speculated to take over as the MLS side’s next boss. Only a month ago, Mascherano spoke about his time with Messi in Spain. The duo shared the dressing room at Barcelona for nearly a decade before Mascherano left the club in 2018.
Speaking to the YouTube channel Shoot for Love, Mascherano claimed, “If Messi were a defender, he would perhaps be one of the best defenders in the world.”
Mascherano revealed how it was ‘impossible’ to beat him one-on-one. In the same interview, he said, “It is impossible to get past him. Sometimes, at Barcelona, we played one-on-one and it was impossible to get past him.”
He also discussed how Messi was excellent in defence when training together. “We had no chance against him. Sometimes, attackers know how to defend. Leo defended very well. He was very fast and when you tried to dribble past him it was impossible,” Mascherano recalled.
In another anecdote, Mascherano talked about the time when he competed in a short tournament during a training session in Barcelona. He revealed how Messi’s individual brilliance led to the session ending early. “In Barcelona, we did a short tournament in a training session with three teams: five victories and you were the champion,” he said. “He [Messi] decided to end the training session early, so he scored five goals for the team to win and the training session ended,” Mascherano said.
Now, almost six years later, Mascherano is set to collaborate with Messi once again at Inter Miami. With Martino exiting the club due to ‘personal reasons’, David Beckham had to act quickly to identify the manager’s replacement. Martino arrived in June last year and guided the team to Leagues Cup glory last season.
This year, Inter Miami dominated the league to break the all-time points record. They also won the Supporters’ Shield while earning a place in the next edition of the FIFA Club World Cup. Despite winning multiple trophies, Inter Miami failed to make the MLS Cup final after being knocked out in the playoffs by Atlanta United.
