Barcelona holds farewell ceremony as Mascherano leaves

CAIRO – 24 January 2018: FC Barcelona has scheduled Wednesday as the farewell ceremony for Argentinean midfielder Javier Mascherano, who is leaving for Chinese Hebei Fortune after seven and a half seasons defending the Blaugrana shirt.

The event will take place at the Auditorium 1899 of Camp Nou and will be attended by Josep Maria Bartomeu, president of FC Barcelona, and the entire first team squad.

Later, the player will bid farewell to Barcelona's fans in the prolegomena of the Copa del Rey match between Barcelona and Espanyol on Thursday.

Mascherano will perform this emotional process from the lawn of Camp Nou, since he cannot play his last minutes as Blaugrana because of some physical discomfort.

Mascherano already said goodbye on Monday informally from all his colleagues with a meal at a restaurant in Barcelona.

Javier Mascherano joined Barcelona in 2010 from Liverpool. He left his original position, as a midfielder, to be an alternative defender for former Barcelona legend Carles Puyol and their current one, Gerard Pique.

The 33-year-old helped his team win a lot of titles through 334 club appearances and winning 18 titles – 4 La Liga, 4 Copa del Rey, 4 Spanish Super Cup, 2 Champions League, 2 European Super Cup and 2 Club World Cup.