Javier Mascherano wins Barcelona player of the year ahead of Lionel Messi
Javier Mascherano has been declared as the fifth winner of Barcelona's Memorial Aldo Rovira award, pipping Lionel Messi as the team's best player of the 2013-14 season. The Argentine midfielder, who joined Barcelona in 2010, has demonstrated imposing consistency in the Blaugrana defence playing in central defence and rarely in his usual defensive midfielder position. Lionel Messi had previously won the award in 2010, 2011 and 2013 while Eric Abidal was honoured for his battle with cancer in 2012.
Mascherano honoured by the award
Mascherano displayed his versatility in recent seasons by playing in central defence. The former Liverpool man commented on the club’s official website after getting the award as:
"I thank all of you who voted for me to receive this prize," he said.
"We’ll try to continue doing things as well as we have until now, with the same dedication while trying to stay faithful to what a club like this demands, which is a lot."
The award is given in the honour of Aldo Rovira, a Barca club member who passed away in an accident in 2009. The winner is selected from a jury of important members from Barcelona and the Catalan media.
Unanimous choice for a deserving player
Blaugrana president Josep Maria Bartomeu, one of the elite jury members explained the selection:
"I was part of the jury that chose Javier Mascherano," he commented.
“And I have to tell you, Javier, that there was quite some debate at first.
"But when your name came up, the response was unanimous and so this a very well deserved prize.
"It’s an honour for Barca to have a player like you.” he concluded.
The 30-year-old signed a new contract on June 7 that will make him play for the Nou Camp based club till 2018 and which also ended the speculations of the Argentinian moving away from the club.
Mascherano has come out as one of the side’s leaders in the club’s period of transition, much like the way he guided Argentina to the World Cup final this year. He will be a key factor for Barcelona in the remainder of this season, wherein they are aiming to get back to winning trophies again.