Mascherano retires at 36 as Argentina's most-capped player

Former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has announced his retirement from football at the age of 36.

Mascherano, the most-capped player in Argentina's history, made the announcement in a press conference at his current club, Estudiantes.

He said: 'I want to announce that today I am retiring from soccer professionally.

'I want to thank this club that gave me the opportunity to finish my career in Argentina.

'I lived my profession 100%, to the maximum that I possibly can, and for a while now that has been getting harder.

'Sometimes you don't choose the end, it happens all by itself.'

After winning domestic titles in South Africa with River Plate and Corinthians, he made a controversial move to West Ham United alongside Carlos Tevez in 2006.

The Hammers were slapped with a record £5.5million by Fifa for impropriety over the signing of the pair, with Mascherano moving to Liverpool the following February.

He made 139 appearances in a successful three-year spell, with the club finishing four points behind Manchester United in the 2008-09.

Mascherano then won two Champions League crowns and a pair of Club World Cup titles with Barcelona, along with five wins each in LaLiga and the Copa del Rey, and played in the 2014 World Cup final for Argentina.

Moves to Hebei China Fortune and Estuadiantes followed in the twilight of his career, with the latter club giving him the opportunity to play alongside fellow national team stalwart Marcos Rojo.

Mascherano overtook Javier Zanetti's caps record of 143 in 2018, finishing with the princely total of 147.