Javier Mascherano
I'm a sporting professional; I don't have a great understanding of tax and legal matters.Collection: Legal
I have always tried to live football from a survivalist perspective.
Playing in England was a fantastic experience. In Liverpool, I felt at home and really, thoroughly enjoyed it.
The kudos and hierarchy of playing in the Premier League for a footballer is huge.
This is football: one day you win, one day you lose, and there's a very fine line between them.
Even just a little bit of praise can weaken you.
Great players are very good technically, but they also have a huge amount of character because, without it, you will never get to see that great technique because it vanishes under pressure.
I have had so many team-mates who have been technically better than me.
Football is not as easy as it looks from the television gantry.
Honestly, after five, six months, I thought it was unlikely I'd be here long: my characteristics seemed to go against everything Barcelona stood for.
I like talking about football.
Playing at coach is very easy; actually doing it is another thing. Put yourself in the coach's position, and you'll see how complex everything is.
One day I won't play for Barcelona. I'll go and play somewhere else, and I'm sure I'll do so as a central midfielder. That's what I'll try to do because it's the position I like.
Liverpool is a club where you need to be there to enjoy it. It's not worth owning Liverpool if you are going to always be 20,000 miles away.
I've always been a very passionate football supporter, and I used to watch the Champions League.
In my position, I've always admired Claude Makelele. I grew up watching him play. I was able to play against him in the final stages of his career. I have always liked his way of playing football, and given my position and style, he's been a mirror to compare myself against.
Being the Barca coach is different to being the coach at another club because you have to adapt to the philosophy of the club. At other clubs, maybe you have the freedom to adapt the team to your way of thinking. Here, that's not the case.
Before I came to Barcelona, I only thought about one facet of the game: destroying. My qualities were completely defensive, and I wouldn't take responsibility for organising my team's game, our attacks.
My feeling for Liverpool does not mean I'm tied to them.
When I couldn't play at West Ham, I kept my mentality, and I went to train every day to be a better player.
I didn't have the chance to play at West Ham, but in football, you always have a chance. When I went to Liverpool, I had the chance to show my quality.
I lived three unforgettable years with Liverpool. I will always be grateful for everything to the club and, especially, the fans. From day one, they behaved impeccably and were amazing.
One lives every World Cup differently, mostly because one's age changes.
For Argentina I'm a central midfielder. Always have been and always will be.
When you have someone better ahead of you, you accept it and try to turn the situation around.
I'm not a player that gets angry, especially not with coaches.
When you are not winning games in a row, you don't have confidence, and it is difficult to show all the qualities that you have.
In football, 80% of the game is played in your head; the other 20% is physical and tactical.
I don't go out to enjoy myself: I enjoy myself when I'm learning in training, but I don't enjoy the 90 minutes I spend out on the pitch during a game.
I remember my first Champions League final in 1996: Juventus-Ajax. That's the clearest memory from my childhood.
The Champions League was something very distant for us. I grew up in a very small town with 50,000 inhabitants, and it was a way of being able to watch my idols or people I admired play football on television.
I've always believed that training with great players makes you a better player.
Throughout all my career, I have been an honest person, responsible, and respectful of my team-mates and the clubs that I have played for and the countries I have lived in.
Although he may not be human, it’s good that Messi still thinks he is.Collection: Thinking
I have no problem living in Liverpool, but I think my wife and daughters deserve to enjoy every day to the full and live their lives - but they have to be at home all day. My wife doesn't speak a word of English, so she depends 100% on me. I live here with them. That's my world, that's my life.Collection: Daughter
It's not easy, being the best at what he does but still having the humility and desire to be close to those around him. In private, Messi is a great leader, a great captain. Usually the best in any area see things differently but in this case Leo is still an ordinary person and that makes our relationship work. He's the leader of ARG, he has helped us to reach two finals in one year. I have great respect for Messi the person and player.Collection: Humility
I was disappointed not to be able to sign [for Barcelona] last season. When the best club in the world calls you, then it is something that you want to happen. I have signed for the only club who really wanted me. In no moment did I ever think that Inter was a possibility. Rafa valued me and perhaps that is why people started saying that I could go there but this is the only club that pushed to sign me.Collection: Thinking