4 Possible reasons behind Mascherano retirement amid ongoing season

Playing football without your friends isn't the same and Mascherano knows it.

Javier Mascherano is 36 years old now, and there are footballers that play beyond this age, but the Argentine decided to call it quits; as Mundo Deportivo report, there are four factors that accelerated his retirement.

First, South American football is more intense and rough than we're used to and Mascherano could no longer cope with the speeds.

Second, Gabriel Milito — Javier's teammate from Barcelona and Argentina — was coaching Estudiantes but has resigned because of the bad results.

Third, his teammates and friends have left: Gaston Fernandez retired while Marcos Rojo returned to Manchester United.

And fourth, there was no football in Argentina for seven months because of the pandemic, and Mascherano realized during this time that the feelings are no longer the same.

'El Jefe' played for Barca between 2010 and 2018, managing 334 appearances, one goal and eight assists; he helped the Catalans win 19 trophies