"Based on what I've seen during these four years, the club has taken great care of the kids at La Masia", assured Javier Mascherano in the wake of the transfer ban FIFA has hit Barça with for breaking the rules on signing players aged under 18.

Regarding the FIFA sanction, he stated: "From my own viewpoint, based on what I've seen during these four years, the club has taken great care of the kids at La Masia. That's what I've seen; what I know to be true. You can see that they've given them the best quality of life so that they can be here."

"The matter is a little delicate for me to be giving opinions. I'm not completely familiar with the legal side of things," he added.

As for the state of the team before La Liga kicks off, the converted midfielder noted that, "Those of us who have returned later have seen that the others have trained really well during the whole pre-season."

Mascherano has moved on from the World Cup final defeat: "You get to experience some wonderful moments and some very painful ones. I'll never forget losing the World Cup, but life goes on. I am in debt to this club. My energy and desires are renewed. You always look for new goals in life. I can't dwell on what happened while I'm at a great club like this."

The ex-Liverpool man also discussed Luis Enrique's recent praise: "I'm very grateful for his remarks and I hope to prove what he thinks about me is true in every training session."