Mascherano: Argentina's Post-2018 Successes 'Unimaginable'

Javier Mascherano, a former star of the Argentine national football team, stated that it is "unimaginable" to think about all that Argentina has achieved since 2018. Mascherano, who retired from the national team after the 2018 World Cup in Russia, reflected on the team's subsequent successes during a FIFA legends event in New York.

"I think it's unimaginable to think beyond all that Argentina achieved, to think that after what happened to us in 2018, we would experience all of this. I think anyone would have signed up for it," Mascherano said. He also commented on the current team's "tranquility and composure," noting that Argentina and another unnamed team have shown the most consistency over the past three to four years.

Mascherano, who was a runner-up in the 2014 World Cup, believes that the events of 2018 were crucial for the emergence of coach Lionel Scaloni. "For there to be a Scaloni, what happened in 2018 had to happen," he stated. Mascherano considers the current squad the best he has witnessed in his 42 years, surpassing even the teams from 1986 and 1990, which he recalls less vividly. He specifically praised Scaloni for making Argentines proud to be Argentinian.