Javier Mascherano opens up on refusing to play for Liverpool to force Barcelona move

Javier Mascherano has opened up on his unsavoury Liverpool exit in 2010, revealing that the club's failure to uphold their side of the bargain regarding offers from other teams resulted in him refusing to play in order to force through a move.

Despite receiving bids from Barcelona, the Reds were reluctant to sell the tenacious midfielder, and Mascherano made his feelings known by refusing to play for the club against Manchester City in August 2010.

The Argentinian eventually got his move to Catalonia a week later, and he would go onto win 12 major trophies in eight years at Camp Nou.

"On one side I honestly do, as Liverpool fans weren’t happy with me at all and I completely understood why," Mascherano told FourFourTwo. "On the other hand, the board at the time had promised me something and weren’t keeping their word.

"There was an agreement between us that if Liverpool received a decent offer for me, I’d be permitted to leave. We’d spoken about extending my contract, but it seemed like the directors didn’t care about me.

"In the pre-season after Rafa left, Roy Hodgson arrived. We had a meeting with the managing director, Christian Purslow, who told me I could go if a good offer came in. Then there was an offer on the table, but Liverpool were looking the other way.

"I was quite angry that they weren’t keeping their word. Refusing to play at City was the way I found to show my annoyance. I’d told the club I wanted to leave for family reasons, so I was very upset to have to act the way I did. There was no other option – otherwise, Liverpool wouldn’t keep their promise."

Mascherano revealed his exit was not due to footballing reasons, but rather because his family were unhappy in England.

"I was really happy in Liverpool, but it was tough for my wife and daughters," he added. "Although I was playing regularly and the supporters loved me – and they’re extraordinary people – the issue was that I trained for three or four hours a day and had 20 hours left to stay at home."

"It’s difficult to see your family unhappy and unsettled because of the language, the weather…I needed to go somewhere else for the wellbeing of my loved ones."