Mascherano's legs may be gone but his leadership and heart makes him the leader of this Argentine team
Blood poured out of his face and yet he didn’t flinch, eyes still solely focused on the objective of the day which was to secure his country’s berth in the last 16 in Russia. Watching Javier Mascherano against Nigeria was truly awe-inspiring yet sad at times.
Here was a man whose best years are behind him. ‘El Jefe’ as he is known didn’t have the legs and gave the ball away cheaply too many times. His mistake led to Nigeria earning a penalty and equalising, jeopardising his country’s position in the tournament.