I suffer playing football, Javier Mascherano admits

Barcelona Javier Mascherano has admitted in a magazine interview that he isn't one of those players who enjoy football, saying that it is 90 minutes of suffering. Explaining his statement the Argentine said:

"I mean, I don't agree with many footballers when they say 'I go out on the pitch to enjoy myself'. No, I don't go out to enjoy myself, I enjoy myself when I'm learning in training, but I don't enjoy the 90 minutes I spend out on the pitch during a game."

Mascherano admitted that if he hadn't moved from midfield to center-back, he "probably" wouldn't still be at Barça. "I already knew as much: playing in central midfield at Barça was going to be almost impossible". He said that he suffers more at centre-back. "It isn't my natural position, even though I now feel like a centre-back. However, saying that I 're-trained' as a centre-back would just be an excuse on my part, but I insist that I do see it as a reward when I play in midfield and I, therefore, enjoy it much more".

When Pep Guardiola told him that his chance of playing first-team football was moving to centre-back, Mascherano knew full well that he needed to learn his new role: "There was no other way. I realised that what I brought to Barcelona wasn't enough, not even to stay at the club".

Source - Marca.com