Javier Mascherano

Twice a UEFA Champions League winner with a further five Spanish titles and two Olympic gold medals, Javier Mascherano is widely regarded as one of the best defensive minds of his generation. The Argentine is his country's most capped player and certainly among its most loved defenders, a man who has enjoyed popularity wherever he has gone, be it River Plate, West Ham United, Liverpool, FC Barcelona or Hebei China Fortune. Most astute at releasing pressure and controlling the area between the back-line and midfield, Mascherano has been likened to Pep Guardiola – a man he eventually played under during the most successful period of his career.