Javier Mascherano was forced to relive painful memories over the weekend when he came face to face with a tattoo tribute to his goal-denying sliding tackle at the 2014 World Cup.
With the score locked at 0-0 and mere seconds of normal time left to play in Argentina’s drab semi-final against the Netherlands, Mascherano made up several metres on Arjen Robben to slam the door shut in dramatic fashion…
Unfortunately, the exquisite tackle was made at some cost, with Mascherano later revealing just why he recoiled in pain in the immediate aftermath:
I thought I had slipped, I thought I wouldn’t make it, but I tore my anus on that move, the pain…it was terrible.
Still, that particularly gruesome detail didn’t stop this bloke from having a permanent reminder of Masch’s bloodied hoop forever needled onto his upper thigh…
Photo via Mundo Deportivo
You can almost hear Mascherano wincing from here.