JAVIER MASCHERANO already knows what it’s like to leave the Olympic Stadium in Athens clutching a winners’ medal. The Liverpool midfielder was part of

the Argentina squad that claimed

the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games by beating Paraguay 1-0 in the final.

Now Mascherano will return to the scene of the first major triumph of his young career aiming to bring a glorious and unlikely conclusion to a campaign the player himself describes as “surreal”.

Certainly, few could have predicted the 22-year-old would be taking part in a Champions League final after starting the season in Brazil with Corinthians and spending much of the winter out in the cold at West Ham United.

“It would never have crossed my mind,” admits Mascherano, whose circuitous route to Athens matches that of many supporters. “This season has been a very strange and very surreal experience for me.

“At the start of the season I was part of a struggling team, and then I wasn’t getting a game for them, and then this opportunity came out of the blue and here I am taking part in a European Cup final.

“As I say, surreal is probably the best way to describe what has happened to me this season.”

Eyebrows were raised when Mascherano moved to Upton Park in August along with Carlos Tevez. The pair were team-mates with both Corinthians and the Argentina national squad and helped their country to Olympic gold in Greece, where Tevez ended the tournament as leading goalscorer.

“Athens is a special place for me because it was where I won my first gold medal with the Argentina national side three years ago,” says the Liverpool midfielder.

“For a group of young players who were all just starting out in our careers it was a very important moment, a special time, and it will bring back a lot of happy memories when I run out at that stadium again.

“Winning that final in Athens was one of the highlights of my career. It is very difficult to say what has been the best moment so far, but it is right up there. It was the first gold medal I have won of any description and to win it with my national team made it even more special.”

Mascherano will be part of a battle within the battle in Athens tomorrow night if, as is anticipated, he is handed the task of nullifying AC Milan’s talismanic playmaker Kaka.

The Liverpool man faced Kaka twice when Argentina came up against Brazil during World Cup qualifying, both players claiming a win each.

And Mascherano is more than aware of the havoc the Milan forward can wreak if left unattended, as in the semi-final victory over Manchester United.

“I have played against Kaka a few times for Argentina against Brazil but whether I mark him again in Athens is up to the manager,” says Mascherano.

“If my job is to stop Kaka then I would be very happy to take on the responsibility. I don’t think anyone would disagree that Kaka is one of the best players in the world at the moment, to many he is the best and he will be a real danger to us in the final.

“He is the most important player for Milan for sure, he showed that against Manchester United in the semi-finals and he is the leading goalscorer in the Champions League this season, so we know that we have to pay close attention to him and be alert to the threat he possesses.

“But he is not the only great player in the Milan team, so we cannot only think about taking care of him, and we also have to think about how we are going to damage them too.

“We cannot think only about stopping them, we have to be proactive and give Milan something to worry about.”

Despite his tender years, Mascherano – famously described as a “monster” by Diego Maradona – has already appeared in finals of the Copa Sudamericana (South American’s equivalent of the UEFA Cup) and the Copa America as well as the Olympics.

He also played every minute of Argentina’s run to the quarter-finals in last year’s World Cup, and believes tomorrow’s game is on a par with that experience.

“To live this moment now is something you dream about as a little boy,” says Mascherano. “The only thing I can compare these moments to is when you go to play in the World Cup.

“The game is going to be watched by millions around the world and I’m very lucky to be part of it. I want the responsibility of winning the European Cup for Liverpool for the sixth time and hopefully we will.”

Mascherano made as many starts in Germany last summer as he did during his miserable spell at West Ham. Yet the Argentine refuses to criticise the Londoners for his treatment at Upton Park.

“I am very happy at Liverpool but I wouldn’t say I came here to get away from West Ham, I only left West Ham because I had no opportunities to play football there,” he says.

“It was a breath of fresh air when Liverpool came in for me. I think I made the right decision to come to Liverpool and in three months at this club I have had more opportunities to play than I had in five months at West Ham.

“For that reason alone I know I made the right choice, but to have the chance to play in a European Cup final after my first few months in England is incredible.

“I feel I have a lot to thank West Ham for. They opened the door for me to come and play in Europe and I will always be grateful to them for that. If it wasn’t for West Ham I wouldn’t be enjoying this special moment with Liverpool now.”

Benitez had been tracking Mascherano since the midfielder began making waves as a teenager working his way through the Argentine national youth ranks.

Complications with the registration of the player – an issue that this month cost West Ham a £5.5m fine with regards Tevez – meant the Liverpool manager had to wait a little longer before finally securing the player on an 18-month loan in February

Mascherano’s first inclusion was as an unused substitute in the Champions League win in Barcelona, and has since gone on to feature against both PSV Eindhoven and Chelsea in the competition.

And he admits he owes a huge debt to Benitez. “The manager has been crucial in my resurgence this season, crucial,” says Mascherano. “I was just languishing at West Ham after months without playing a game and he showed faith in me to bring me here, and given me back belief in myself by giving me plenty of opportunities to play.

“He has had a great influence on me already. I have a lot more confidence now because of the trust the manager has placed in me and because I am part of a team that is on the cusp of winning the European Cup.”

Should Mascherano add another winner’s medal to his collection tomorrow night, he’ll know exactly where to put it.

“The gold medal from the Olympics is now locked away in my parents’ home in Argentina,” he says. “They look after all of my medals and memorabilia, all the trophies and shirts I have collected during my career.”