4 footballers who successfully played as both centre-back and defensive midfielder at the top level

4. Javier Mascherano

Javier Mascherano

Mascherano is another player who is blessed with superb tackling and man-marking skills. He is also very brave and fast, and does not often evade challenges.

Mascherano started his career in Europe for West Ham and spent one season there. He then moved to Liverpool and played as a defensive midfielder for them.

He had considerably good ball skills and aided in attacks too. He spent five seasons with Liverpool and scored two goals in 132 matches for them.

Barcelona signed him in 2010 and gradually, he became a centre-back for them. Mascherano’s defensive instincts meant that he would regularly fall back into his own penalty box even while playing as a defensive midfielder. He was also extremely strong in the air and was dependable while defending set-pieces too.

After Carles Puyol’s retirement, Mascherano became a regular centre-back for Barcelona, with Gerard Pique as his defensive partner. He played 334 matches for Barcelona in eight seasons and won two Champions League and five La Liga titles with them.

Mascherano is the most capped player in the history of the Argentine national team, and won a World cup runner-up medal with them in 2014. He has appeared in four World Cups and played in 147 matches for Argentina. However, for the national side, Mascherano has played as a defensive midfielder throughout his career and been very successful at that too.