Javier Mascherano Retires from International Play After World Cup Loss to France

Javier Mascherano announced his retirement from international football following Argentina's 2018 FIFA World Cup exit at the hands of France on Saturday.

The former Barcelona star featured in all four of Argentina's games in Russia but said the time is right to leave, per ESPN.com:

"This story has ended. We gave it our everything until the end. It was a crazy match, in which we didn't start well but we recovered and we turned it around. But their tying goal did so much damage to us.

It cost us so much to lift ourselves up again. From this point on I will be just another fan of the Argentina national team. It is over. The illusion is shattered. It's time to say goodbye and for the younger players to step in."

La Albiceleste had a traumatic World Cup as they opened their campaign with a draw against Iceland. They followed it with a 3-0 defeat to Croatia, which left them struggling to qualify from Group D. A 2-1 win over Nigeria saw them into the last 16 where they lost 4-3 to France in a thriller on Saturday.

The defeat was Mascherano's 147th international appearance for Argentina, making him their most capped player, per Indy Football:

However, the 34-year-old found it tough going against Les Bleus and was fortunate not to pick up a second booking during the game. He was shown a yellow card in the first half for a foul on N'Golo Kante and made several other strong tackles after the break.

Mark Ogden at ESPN FC felt he deserved at least one more booking:

The 2018 World Cup has appeared a step too far for Mascherano, who left Barcelona in January for Chinese Super League side Hebei China Fortune.

The midfielder has looked off the pace and been guilty of giving the ball away in dangerous areas. He conceded a penalty against Nigeria and was booked in that match, which meant he would have been suspended for the quarter-finals if Argentina had beaten France.

Yet Mascherano's determination and commitment to the cause cannot be questioned and provoked debate over his contribution to the team, as journalist Daniel Edwards noted:

The midfielder will be missed, as he has played at four World Cups for Argentina and will go down as one of their midfield greats.

Argentina's exit from Russia is likely to prompt change within the squad after they failed to impress. However, coach Jorge Sampaoli looks set to stay on, as he said after the game he does not "want to evaluate stepping aside," per Sport.