Mascherano departing Barcelona
Javier Mascherano | Barcelona —> Habei — The move hasn’t officially been announced. But Barcelona rolled out its side of the announcement on Tuesday, and publicized a big sendoff – an “institutional farewell ceremony” – for Mascherano, who spent seven-and-a-half seasons at the club. He’ll reportedly head to China for around $12.3 million.
The Argentinean was a rock at the back for Barca for years. He became Gerard Pique’s regular partner as Carles Puyol faded, and won 10 major trophies, including two European titles.
The club’s succession plan had been in place for over a year. Samuel Umtitidisplaced Mascherano in the starting lineup for good this season, and Yerry Mina was brought in earlier this month as further cover. Nonetheless, Mascherano deserves his farewell. He was one of the more underappreciated contributors to Barcelona’s dominance of the early 2010s.
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