Argentina's former football team captain Javier Mascherano announced his retirement on Sunday, after his side Estudiantes lost to Argentinos Juniors in a league match. A defensive midfielder by trade, the 36-year-old represented the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona and River Plate in a glittering career. Mascherano was known as one of the greatest tacklers in football history, and had also become a subject to trolls for his lack of goals. Surprisingly for Barcelona, whom he represented from 2010-2018, he only scored one goal. The La Liga outfit took to social media to pay tribute to their legend and also shared a highlight of the goal. It was captioned as, "334 games 18 trophies 1 goal @Mascherano, Barca legend". Here is the goal:
The Argentine was converted into a centre-back in Spain, during Pep Guardiola's tenure, and continued in the same position till his exit from the club.
He scored his only goal from the penalty spot in a 7-1 win over CA Osasuna. Midfielder Ivan Rakitic was supposed to take the penalty but was urged by Gerard Pique to give it to Mascherano, who had never scored a goal for the Catalan goal.
With a calm run, he fired it in the middle, with the goalkeeper diving away. After the goal, the likes of Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez were seen sharing a laugh.
After leaving Spain, he played for Hebei China Fortune and Estudiantes.
He also represented Argentina in four FIFA World Cups, including a runner-up finish in Brazil. His trophy cabinet even includes two Olympic gold medals.