WTF was that about? When West Ham signed Tevez and Mascherano 🤦‍♂️ | OneFootball

Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano were two of the hottest prospects in football after the 2006 World Cup.

The two players had been a part of the Argentina squad that had progressed to the quarter-finals in Germany.

They would inevitably make their move from Corinthians to one of the big boys in Europe, but which would it be?

Barcelona? Real Madrid? Juventus?

No, West Ham.

It was August 31, 2006 and the two 22-year-olds were holding aloft that famous claret and blue shirt next to Alan Pardew.

It was a transfer that caught everyone in football off guard, not least the two players themselves.

The Hammers had just finished ninth the previous season although they did make it to the FA Cup final, where they lost on penalties to Liverpool.

West Ham were a solid Premier League club and Upton Park was a hostile place to play for the opposition on it’s day but this wasn’t exactly the Camp Nou and El Clásico.

There had to be more to this than what met the eye, and as it turned out, there was.

Tevez and Mascherano had technically joined West Ham from Corinthians but in fact there was a third-party involved.

Kia Joorabchian was the head honcho for Media Sports Investment, an international investment fund.

MSI had a controlling stake in the Brazilian club in a deal that also saw them hold stakes in players, such as Tevez and Mascherano.

There was, and still is confusion, about how the transfers actually came about but in November 2005 MSI had failed to agree a deal to buy West Ham.

Nine months later the club sign the two players.

It was a complex move that proved to have a controversial impact on more than just Pardew’s side.

Mascherano made just seven appearances for the club with Pardew often shifting him out to the left-hand side of midfield to accommodate Nigel Quashie and Hayden Mullins.

The defensive midfielder eventually moved on to Liverpool in January.

However, West Ham fans will never forget Tevez.

The energetic striker didn’t score his first goal for the club until April but found his form to help the Hammers pick up 21 points from a possible 27 to stay in the top-flight.

He scored the only goal to beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on the final day to maintain their Premier League status.

A fact that was not well received in Sheffield.

West Ham’s rivals down at the bottom were Sheffield United who took exception to the events surrounding Tevez’s transfer and the impact it had on the end result.

The Hammers were found guilty of acting improperly and were dealt a record fine of £5.5m.

The damage had been done, West Ham stayed up above the Blades by three points.

Controversy appeared to follow Tevez round everywhere.

Just ask Manchester United and Manchester City fans.

He did go on to win league titles with both Manchester clubs while Mascherano achieved everything under the sun while at Barcelona.

It all started with a smile on the face of Pardew.