Mascherano confirms retirement from international football
The ex-Barcelona man was in tears as he revealed his decision
Javier Mascherano confirmed his retirement from international football after Argentina were knocked out of the World Cup by France on Saturday.
Two Kylian Mbappe goals, a penalty from Antoine Griezmann and a screamer from Benjamin Pavard sent the French into the quarterfinal via a 4-3 win.
Argentina's goals came from Angel Di Maria, Gabriel Mercado and Sergio Aguero, with Lionel Messi setting up two of them.
“It’s time to say goodbye, it’s time to support from outside," Mascherano said at full-time. "I hope that in the future these boys can achieve something."
Mascherano, who left Barcelona for China in January, retires from Argentina duty after winning 147 caps for his country, scoring three goals.
However, he has never won a major trophy with the Albiceleste, losing four Copa America finals (2004, 2007, 2015, 2016) and one World Cup final (2014).
Meanwhile, his booking in the loss to France saw him become the most cautioned player in the history of the World Cup.
It was his seventh booking at the finals moving him clear of Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Cafu (Brazil) and Zinedine Zidane (France), who were all booked six times at football's biggest tournament.
