Players and fans having to travel short distances from one stadium to another for matches at the Qatar 2022 World Cup would prove to be a 'fabulous' concept, Barcelona and Argentinian legend Javier Mascherano said.
Argentina’s most capped national player, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, Mascherano praised Qatar’s ‘compact’ concept for the FIFA World Cup, just a day after the Supreme Committee of Delivery & Legacy (SC) announced the official schedule for the region’s biggest global football tournament.
“Traveling is a big aspect of our job description. Players travel so much. Usually during such events we would get tired of travelling. So the next World Cup in Qatar will be excellent due to the minimal travel time. It would be less than an hour, or just minutes by Metro or by car. Fabulous,” Mascherano, who plays for top Argentinian club Estudiantes, told host Tarek Al Bader during Generation Amazing’s (@ GA4Good) Instagram Live session which was arranged in collaboration with the Argentina Embassy in Qatar and the Ambassador H E Dr Carlos Hernandez.
Mascherano made 147 appearances for the Argentina national team during his 15-year international career since his debut in 2003. He represented the nation at five Copa América tournaments, finishing runner-up in 2004, 2007, 2015, and 2016, and four FIFA World Cups, reaching the 2014 final.
His two Olympic gold medals came in 2004 and 2008, as he became the first male footballer to achieve this double feat since 1968. He captained the national team from 2008-2011. Mascherano started his career at River Plate in 2003 and later moved to Brazilian side Corinthians in 2005 where he won the Brazilian Série A in his first season with the club. Mascherano then moved to Europe, signing for Premier League side West Ham United.
In 2007, he joined Liverpool on loan, reaching the final of the UEFA Champions League, and later signed a deal worth £18.7m. Earlier this month, Liverpool won the Premier League title for the first time in 30 years and Mascherano did not forget to mention that Jurgan Klopp’s side deserved the title. “I’m really really happy they won the Premier League title. I really enjoyed when Liverpool did it. It’s like a homely feeling. I can’t wait to visit the club and see the renovated Anfield,” Mascherano said.
Mascherano joined Barcelona in 2010 in a €24m deal. At Barcelona, Mascherano who was an aggressive, ball winning central midfielder, changed his position to full central defender. The position change proved to be a match-winner for the Spanish giants as Mascherano continued to excel as a world-class player.
“Sometimes we must be realistic and must understand the situation. Sometimes we want to wait. Then I found myself in a place where I had to change my position. That gave me different kind of an opportunity to play in a different way, in a defensive position,” he said.
With Barcelona, he won five La Liga championships, two UEFA Champions League titles, and two FIFA Club World Cups, among other honours. The Argentinian is still in touch with his former Barca team-mate Xavi Hernandez.
“I have a good friend in Doha, Xavi. We have discussed a lot of youth development projects with Xavi, who is now a Global Ambassador for SC. When I was in Doha with Barcelona heads, it was good to see a lot of youth projects being handled."
On Argentina’s chances under his former team-mate Lionel Messi at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Mascherano said: “I would like to see Messi play as long as he can. Argentina is going to do well in Qatar and he’s going to get big support. I really hope he helps us win the World Cup trophy in Qatar in two more years.”
“With football around the world taking a huge hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a difficult time for everyone. Not only in Argentina and Qatar, all over the world, everyone is feeling the impact. We have to look after not only individuals, but everyone. You have to look after people around you. You know, it’s an opportunity to help one another,” Mascherano, who played 53 matches for Chinese Super League side Hebei China Fortunein last season, said.
After his short stint with the Chinese side, Mascherano, 36, moved back to La Plata in Buenos Aires when he is currently based. Mascherano is one of the biggest football stars to appear on @GA4good Instagram Live since the programme launched its online series. Its previous guests included Xavi, Samuel Eto’o, Cafu and Tim Cahill.
