On February 10 Liverpool added Mascherano to their Champions League squad and gave him the number 20 shirt. Eventually, on February 20, 2007, Mascherano’s move to Liverpool became official after the Premier League accepted Liverpool’s request to register the player at Anfield.
It is widely reported to be an 18 month permanent deal, though a fee and/or other arrangements are as yet unclear. The fee has been rumoured to be £1.5 million, but the Daily Mail have reported that Liverpool bought the player outright from MSI for £10 million.
Mascherano made his debut for Liverpool against Sheffield United on 24th February 2007 and was praised by the Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez and team captain Steven Gerrard after Liverpool’s 4 - 0 victory. After playing in a match against Arsenal on 31 March, Benitez called Mascherano a “monster of a player.” His first Champions League appearance came in the quarter-final first leg against PSV in Eindhoven on 3 April. Hastily establishing himself as a starter at the club, Mascherano played in the Champions League Final that year against AC Milan, which Liverpool lost 2-1. He was voted Liverpool’s man of the match by the fans on the official Liverpool website.
[Wikipedia]
Player Stats