Hertha Berlin 0, Liverpool 0

Jul 23 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

Javier Mascherano, Liverpool FC

AHEAD of Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat to Milan last year, midfielder Javier Mascherano spoke about how his Olympic gold medal is his most cherished possession at home.

The glittering prize Mascherano secured at the Athens games in 2004 could not be supplemented by a Champions League winners’ medal at the same stadium and followed by defeat to Chelsea at the third time of asking in a European semi-final earlier this year, the Argentinian is still looking to lift his first major honour since arriving at Anfield.

Spiritual home of both the ancient and modern Olympic games, the Greek capital is rich in sporting heritage.

The same could be said for last night’s venue Berlin’s Olympiastadion which hosted not only the last World Cup final between Italy and France two summers ago, but more infamously the 1936 Olympic games.

This was Mascherano’s final appearance in a red jersey before he jets out to Beijing in his latest medal quest.

One Olympic gold medal would be more than enough for the vast majority of sportsmen and with Mascherano having just that tucked away in his trophy cabinet, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was determined that the 24-year-old who is now an established Argentine international with more than 30 caps would not be called up for the Far East.

But like the great US athlete Jesse Owens who graced the 1936 Berlin games in this very stadium – picking up gold in the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4 x 100m relay despite being snubbed by the furious Fuhrer Adolf Hitler whose ideas of Aryan supremacy were torn to shreds by the American’s victories – and of course Britain’s own Steve Redgrave, Mascherano having tasted Olympic success once wants to come back for more.

So off the £18.6million man goes to China along with club colleagues Ryan Babel of the Netherlands and Brazil’s Lucas Leiva leaving Benitez without a trio of his most dynamic midfielders for the start of the new season.

It must be particularly galling for the Spaniard given that he resisted the temptation to send Liverpool out on another lucrative tour of Asia this summer following last year’s trip to Hong Kong as the manager believes that such long-haul trips are not beneficial for his players so soon before the beginning of a gruelling campaign.

But while Benitez might have a valid point when it comes to protecting his squad members from the fatigues of trans-continental air travel, it could be argued that Liverpool’s Olympic-bound trio will return to their club for the remainder of the season far sharper than they ever could playing in half-paced ‘knockabouts’ like this.

It wouldn’t be unfair to suggest that several members of the travelling Press pack went through a more arduous workout before the game collecting their accreditation passes from a club office situated on the outskirts of the vast Olympic village complex on the far side of the stadium to the media entrance than some of the players underwent during the game.

At least after a couple of friendlies in tiny Swiss grounds that wouldn’t look out of place in English non-League football, there was a healthy crowd at this magnificent venue.