Javier Mascherano Disrespected Liverpool and The Fans Who Loved Him

Javier Mascherano was an extremely popular player at Liverpool. Fans love a trier, and Mascherano's intensity seldom dipped during his three years at Anfield.

As a defensive midfielder, he was never going to score a lot of goals, but tackles flew in and lost causes were chased. There were hot-headed moments, and a generous helping of yellow and red cards, but his impulsive mistakes only enhanced his cult status in the stands.

When a player works like Mascherano, fans can forget the millions in his bank account. Liverpool might have paid out close to £20 million to take him in from West Ham and pay his wages, but it has never appeared to be about the money for Mascherano (his agents are a different matter).

But the same Liverpool fans who held him on pedestal will be left with a bitter taste in their mouths, after Mascherano's antics this week.

On Monday night, Argentina's captain boycotted a Premier League game at Manchester City - refusing to play any part at Eastlands and unsettling the entire squad in the build-up to hugely significant meeting in the context of Liverpool's season.

Instead of Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson focusing on the task at hand, he was left to pick up the pieces of a one-man mutiny. Liverpool were brushed aside 3-0 and all the talk afterwards was of Mascherano's act of defiance.

Mascherano's reasoning? Liverpool, the club who own him and a club in the midst of a potentially devastating financial crisis, turned down an initial offer of £16m from Barcelona for his services, and asked them to raise it.

They didn't block the move, and they didn't tell him he couldn't leave. They simply asked for a fee that recognized Mascherano's true value on the market. From a business perspective, it was completely within their rights and the right thing to do.

Mascherano's reaction was unforgivable. He let down his Liverpool teammates, his manager and the fans who loved him. And it was no surprise that tensions ran high in their Tuesday training session.

"It is not easy for me to defend the actions (of Mascherano) because professionals are paid to play and when they are called on to play, they play," Roy Hodgson said.

Hodgson is, of course, absolutely right. But with Mascherano's 'dream move' to Barcelona now all-but sealed, you wonder if his actions on Monday have set a worrying precedent for players who forget who's paying their wages.