"I have had thousands of errors in my career, but if I had something permanent, it is that I have always been a good teammate," Javier Mascherano told Informe +, via Diario Sport.
"In the last stage of Luis Enrique's coaching spell, I lost prominence. I saw Umtiti train on his first day here, then I called my representative and I told him: 'Walter, my story at Barca has ended – here came someone who is at another level'," the Argentine revealed.
Mascherano started receiving significantly less game time in Samuel Umtiti's first season with Barcelona. The Frenchman looked rock-solid in most of the games as the Argentine was mostly coming on as a substitute.
However, the Catalans kept Mascherano for one more season when Ernesto Valverde took over. He made just 12 appearances in his final campaign with Blaugrana.
