Homecoming stories are always telling tales of grasping drama. In the world of football, where players travel the world, playing for various teams, they make new friends, form new attachments and most importantly they leave an imprint when they exit their existing club chapter for a new spell at a different club.
It is not always easy for players to move on and sometimes they seek to find their way back to their old stomping grounds. The return of these cult heroes are followed with great interest and the measure of their success is taken against their previous spell at the club.
Of the recent stories of players returning, the most popular ones are of Wayne Rooney returning to his boyhood club Everton, David Luiz seeking redemption at Chelsea, Pogba wanting to prove his mettle at Old Trafford and Torres linking up with his first true love, Atletico Madrid.
Mascherano moved to Liverpool from West Ham United back in 2007. The midfielder turned centre-back, played over 150 games for the Merseyside club. In his 3 year spell at the club, Mascherano became a key player in the Reds line-up and formed a formidable midfield three alongside Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso.
In the summer of 2010, the Argentine moved to Nou Camp. At Barcelona, he was converted from a holding midfielder to a centre back. He has gone on to make over 300 appearances for the Catalan club and won a host of major trophies including four La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies.
While Mascherano moved onto bigger and better things, Liverpool failed to replace the holding player for years to come. The Argentine added a certain steel and fight in the middle of the park for the Reds which was sorely missed by the club after his departure.
At Barcelona, Mascherano took his time to become a regular starter as it was difficult to replace the trusted pairing of Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol. However, with Puyol’s retirement, Mascherano became a regular and has cemented his place ever since until this season.
With the Argentine not getting any younger at 33 and with Barcelona having brought in replacements in the form Samuel Umtiti, his time at Nou Camp may well be over. Such a situation has tempted Mascherano to rethink his position at the club and he may well be on his way before his contract expires in 2019.
However for Liverpool, even though they desperately need reinforcements at the back and a reunion with their former employee may be tempting, a 33-year old defender is hardly more than a stop-gap solution and it will not be long before Liverpool will again be looking for someone to replace the ageing Argentine.
