Javier Mascherano claims
there was no way he could pass up the opportunity to join
Liverpool, and is 'very happy' at the club.
The Argentina international endured a miserable spell at West Ham
during the first half of the season, but was rescued when Rafa
Benitez swooped to bring him to Anfield in the January transfer
window.
Since joining the club, he has helped Liverpool to reach the UEFA
Champions League final, and admits he is delighted with his
decision.
"The reality is that things didn't work out for me in London and I
couldn't let this opportunity pass: the chance to come to a big
team - to fight for important things," he told UEFA Champions
Magazine.
"I'm very happy with the decision I made to come here."
There had been strong rumours that Mascherano could head to Serie A
or La Liga before Liverpool made a move for him, with the player
admitting he had eyed a switch to Italy.
But the 22-year-old says Benitez spoke to him at length about his
intentions until he was convinced the player wanted to play for
Liverpool.
"He asked whether I wanted to stay in England or go somewhere else.
It's logical that, before starting the transfer work, he wanted to
know he had a 'yes' on my part.
"Otherwise it wouldn't be worth doing all the paperwork, which was
rather a lot," he jokes, in reference to the issues with Fifa
transfer regulations that surrounded the move.
"We spoke a bit about my role. He'd seen me play for some time, but
I'd never had the opportunity to speak with him before.
"He asked about my ideas; what I thought. All the basic stuff from
a manager who wants to bring a player to his club."
Asked which players he admired growing up, he names Argentina stars
Diego Maradona, Matias Almeyda and Diego Simeone, but he admits to
having one stand-out favourite in the modern game.
"(Claude) Makelele is a fantastic player. I love how he
plays."
