The situation
The Argentines have made a great career in Europe: Tevez and Mascherano have won three Champions Leagues, 9 league titles and a bunch of cups for two. But there is a strange fact in the resume of these guys – they started the European path at West Ham. Tevesa and Mascherano dreamed of poaching the top clubs in Europe, and after the 2006 World Cup (Carlos played in four matches and scored against Serbia, and Javier was the main in all five games), interest only increased. Carlos felt special attention – the media associated him with Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal. But talks were sluggish, and Tevez suddenly resurfaced at West Ham on the transfer window deadline. It was a shock, even despite the bright previous season of the Londoners. In the 2005/06 campaign, Yossi Benayoun, Mark Noble, Nigel Rheo-Coker and other guys from Alan Pardew, having just left the Championship, climbed into the top half of the table and reached the FA Cup final. A goal by Steven Gerrard in stoppage time denied West Ham the win, and in the penalty shoot-out, it was Liverpool to be exact.
The stars did not stay at West Ham: Mascherano lost the competition to Hayden Mullins and fled to Liverpool, but Tevez saved the team from disaster
Tevez and Mascherano arrived from Corinthians on August 31 – both went to the British for free. In the modest West Ham, they were stunned by the star couple. “I worked out in the gym. It was the last day of the transfer window, so we all watched with interest to see who went where. Then we learned that the club was going to sign Carlos and Javier. To be honest, we were stunned because we did not expect that two big stars from Argentina would join us, ”said Hayden Mullins. Although the Englishman should have been tense, not rejoiced, Mascherano seemed to be his direct competitor. Javier’s adaptation to London went very quickly – according to partners, he was one of the best in training and absorbed the English mate with pleasure. “The first day of training was crazy – there was a lot of media attention. They both fit in really well. They talked to us and were just good guys. They loved to laugh and joke,” Mullins told The Athletic. But in the games it turned out differently, and Mascherano did not get used to the speeds of the Premier League. “We had bad times, so it’s not that I didn’t let him into the team, but rather the coach sometimes tried other tactics. But Mascherano’s progress was only a matter of time before he entered the rhythm of the Premier League,” Mullins added. Mascherano studied English from the first day and plowed in training, but it didn’t help: he spent only 394 minutes in the Premier League, losing the competition to the local Mullins. He appeared on the field in seven matches – and West Ham lost all seven. Already in the winter, the midfielder fled to Liverpool. Tevez was also offered to the Merseysiders, but they refused at Anfield due to the quarrelsome nature of Carlitos. “I am glad that with the help of West Ham I found myself in England and got the opportunity to play in the Premier League. Thanks to this, I moved to Liverpool. But I don’t feel anything special about West Ham. I didn’t even get a chance to play there. For me, it’s just another Premier League team. The West Ham fans have always been very kind to me. But my career in this club was not successful. Staying at West Ham cannot be compared to playing for River Plate and Corinthians,” Javier admitted two years after leaving. Tevez’s attitude towards West Ham was also immediately noticeable. He scored on a tutor and communicated with the environment through an interpreter. Once he flared up and was rude to Pardue – he was saved by an interpreter who softened the words of a football player, and the coach did not understand anything. Something similar then happened to Tevez in Manchester, only it ended not so harmlessly.