Javier Mascherano retires after Argentina World Cup exit
- Published
Javier Mascherano won the Olympics in 2004 and 2008 but never won the World Cup with Argentina
Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano has retired from international duty following their World Cup exit.
The 34-year-old made 145 appearances for Argentina, including their dramatic 4-3 defeat by France in the last 16 on Saturday.
Mascherano played every minute of Argentina's games at this year's World Cup - his fourth successive tournament.
He told DeportTV:, external "Personally, for me now it's over. From now on I'm just one more Argentina fan."
The double Olympic champion made his senior debut in 2003 and began his career at Argentine club River Plate.
He played for West Ham from 2006 to 2007, leaving to join Liverpool where he featured in the 2007 Champions League final defeat by AC Milan.
Mascherano played for Barcelona from 2010 to this January, winning the Champions League twice and being part of squads that won La Liga on five occasions.
He is currently with Chinese club Hebei China Fortune.