Javier Mascherano was no stranger to the dark arts as a player, especially during his Liverpool days.
The Argentine was a huge presence at the base of the Reds midfielder under Rafa Benitez.
He played at Anfield during a period where their rivalry with Chelsea was perhaps at its peak.
The two sides met in several Champions League semi-finals and enjoyed some titanic battles in the league.
Mascherano knew the value that could be found in pushing their opponent's buttons and learnt the words to a derogatory song the Kop sang to antagonise John Terry so he could wind up the Chelsea skipper, reports the Athletic.
Terry has since admitted that he hated visits to the red half of Merseyside.
The whole experience from the bus journey in to the game itself was a challenge, but he always relishing the challenge.
“Going to Anfield was horrible,” Terry said back in 2017.
“The atmosphere: you would drive from the hotel, a 30-minute bus ride and they were all on the streets, winding you up, throwing stuff at the bus.
“It was a nightmare. It was the worst and the best ground to go to. You didn't fear going there.
“You look forward to going there, you look forward to the big games and big nights. The Champions League game in 2005 is probably the best atmosphere I've ever played in.”
Mascherano spent three years at Liverpool before moving on to Barcelona.
There the South American showed his ball-playing ability as Pep Guardiola converted him to a centre-half.
Former Red Jamie Carragher admits Mascherano's head had been turned 12 months prior to him leaving, but Liverpool were determined to keep him.
“You knew you had a big problem when one of the South American boys was being pursued by either Barcelona or Real Madrid,” he said.
“The year that Xabi went, I don’t think Rafa was too sad to see him go but he desperately didn’t want to lose Mascherano and that was an issue.
"It left a lot of bad feeling with Mascherano. He ended up staying put for another season but he was never the same player.
"His exit always looked inevitable.”
