Javier Mascherano admits Barcelona career will end soon after admitting regrets over Liverpool exit

Javier Mascherano wants to put an end to his successful Barcelona career at the right time after admitting he regrets the manner in which he left Liverpool to sign for La Liga giants in 2010.

The 33-year-old versatile defender only signed a new contract until 2019 in October last year following speculations linking him with a move to Juventus.

However, last month the Argentina international admitted he will consider leaving at the end of the current season after having seen his playing time restricted in recent times.

The former Liverpool star is currently on the sidelines but prior to the injury had only made five La Liga starts this season, with Samuel Umtiti and Gerard Pique ahead of him in Ernesto Valverde's pecking order.

Mascherano has now reiterated that his days at Barcelona are numbered as he doesn't want to repeat the mistakes he made when leaving Liverpool for the Nou Camp in 2010.

Having helped La Liga giants to win the Champions League twice and four La Liga titles, the veteran defender admits he is ready to say goodbye to the club, suggesting that a summer move away from the Nou Camp is an increasing possibility.

Asked by ESPN whether he is entering his final days at the La Liga giants, he admitted: "I think so. My stage here is ending. It makes sense that after such a long time there's not much more I can do in this club. I'm not saying it with a heavy heart. I've had the best years of my career in this club. I'll never forget it."

"I'm one of those people that thinks that you have to know when is the right time to end a stage. I would like to close mine [at Barcelona] on the right time but it doesn't really depend on me [he still has one year and a half left in his contract]. I am predisposed to close it on time because when I left Liverpool it wasn't good for me, and I didn't like it. I didn't like having the feeling that I could go back to Liverpool and there was still something toxic there. And I don't want the same thing to happen to me at Barcelona."

Mascherano made then clear seven years ago that he wanted to leave Anfield due to family reasons. However, Liverpool rejected the first approach from Barcelona because they wanted to recoup all of the money they had paid to sign him from West Ham United three years before.

Then Liverpool Roy Hodgson even labelled the switch as "selfish" but on 30 August the clubs finally agreed a deal worth around £17.25m.

"It was a stormy summer for me. Rafa Benitez had left Liverpool and there was the possibility of going to Inter with him. We were negotiating but things did not go the way we wanted. I already had the idea of leaving Liverpool. He was the manager who had bet on me when I did not know what to do at West Ham. When he left, I believed that it would not be the same and I needed to take a step forward," Mascherano continued.

"Negotiations with Inter did not progress and 15 days before the end of the transfer window Barcelona contacted me. They told me about the possibility of coming [to the Nou Camp]. They needed a player to rest Sergio [Busquets] because Yaya [Toure] had gone. I had previously spoke with Leo [Messi] about it and it was a dream to come to Guardiola's Barcelona.

"I fought for that. It was not the best way to leave [Liverpool]. I did not like it but it was my chance [to go to Barcelona]. A club like this is not going to come looking for you two years in a row. If you say no, they look for someone else. That's the reality. I fought for that and here I am."