Sebastián Mascherano never hesitated to talk about his past. Unlike his brother Javier, a symbol of the Argentina National Team, his path was marked by addictions, wasted opportunities, and a personal struggle that also affected his entire family. In an intimate confession, he recalled how drugs distanced him from soccer and kept him out of a couple of World Cups.
"It's easy to carry the burden of always being the brother. When Javier came in, when I got rehabilitated, he told me: "Now every time I step onto the field, I'm going to step on happy, I'm going to have one less worry."", he recounted.
With stark honesty, he recalled what it meant for him to miss two key moments in his brother's career: "I couldn't enjoy it, I missed the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. Because of drugs, because I was high, because I was doing the wrong things. I think he was ashamed too. Javier was ashamed of what was happening, and yes. Because he had given me the opportunities".
Sebastián confessed that he even came to mistake praise for his brother as recognition for himself: "I'll tell you the truth, also when Maradona said "Mascherano and others" I thought he was talking about me. That was my downfall, because I believed it. I know that today he's the famous one. But before, the roles were reversed. Forget it, it's not easy to carry the burden of always being the brother".
The eldest of the Mascherano brothers also spoke about how he dealt with the impact of his mistakes on the family and whether he ever felt ashamed of his actions: "It's not that I felt ashamed, I felt guilty and I learned to forgive myself".
