Lionel Messi Overlooked as Javier Mascherano Named Barcelona Player of the Year

Javier Mascherano has been named the fifth winner of Barcelona's Memorial Aldo Rovira award, ousting Lionel Messi as the Blaugrana's elected player of the 2013-14 season.

Barca President Josep Maria Bartomeu was part of the jury—formed by senior figures in the Catalan and Spanish media—who agreed on a "unanimous" vote for the combative Argentinian, according to the club's official website.

The club tweeted an image of Mascherano accepting his prize:

"I thank all of you who voted for me to receive this prize," said the player, per Barca. "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."

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The 30-year-old midfielder, who regularly features at centre-back for the Liga leaders, is only the third Barcelona player to win the award after Lionel Messi (2010, 2011, 2013) and Eric Abidal, who received recognition for his battle with cancer in 2012.

Mascherano has emerged as one of the side's leaders in a transitional time for the club. He was ever-present through Gerardo Martino's reign and is a key player for Luis Enrique, who has pushed him back into midfield over recent weeks.

Football writer Juan Arango highlighted his importance in the Clasico:

The former Liverpool star is a pit bull no matter where he appears on the pitch. Barca are currently sitting top of La Liga, with Mascherano averaging 3.2 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game and a pass accuracy of 93.2 percent, per WhoScored.com.

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He offers action, control and aggressiveness, three ingredients that will continue to endear him to the Barca crowd.

Mascherano is set to play a major role across the remainder of the season—much like he did en route to the World Cup final with Argentina—and can be considered Barca's most important defensive mind as the team aims for glory.