Javier Mascherano is arguably one of the best midfielders we’ve seen at Liverpool in the modern era but his time with the club wasn’t long or successful enough to be remembered as highly as other icons.
Speaking with Movistar Deportes Perú (translated) the 39-year-old reflected on signing for the Reds: “When I realised that I wasn’t playing [for West Ham], my idea was to leave in the winter market and I don’t know how Rafa Benítez found out that I was going to leave but he contacted me.
“One day he came to my apartment in London to convince me to sign for Liverpool, because I was already thinking about leaving England, he stopped me. In the talk we had, I remember that we were sitting on a sofa and there was a table with pebbles, he began to explain to me with the pebbles where I had to play.
“He was clear and he told me that what I could give to the team, none of those who were already in the squad could. I thought about it for a week and finally the transfer was finalised. Luckily I made a great decision, because four months later we were was playing in a Champions League final with Milan in Athens.”
It’s an interesting though to see Rafa Benitez arriving at the door of the Argentine to try and convince him on a move to Merseyside, soon using pebbles to show how he wanted the West Ham man to perform for his team.
It was a master stroke by the Spaniard though and the whole squad were unlucky to not end that campaign with a Champions League winners’ medal in hand.
You can watch Mascherano’s comments (from 6:32) via Movistar Deportes Perú on YouTube: