Mascherano: I wouldn't trade places with Messi

The Barcelona man says he would struggle to cope with the burden of expectation which his compatriot faces on a regular basis.Javier Mascherano says he wouldn't want to trade places with Lionel Messi due to the level of expectation heaped on his Barcelona colleague.

Messi bagged 43 league goals as Barcelona reclaimed the Spanish title from Atletico Madrid this season, with the club now facing Copa del Rey and Champions League finals against Athletic Bilbao and Juventus.And Mascherano says he doesn't envy the pressure his Argentina international team-mate must feel to constantly prove he is the best in the game.

I wouldn't trade places with him, Mascherano told Canal Plus. You have to be a very special type of person to bear the burden of proving every three days, every game, that you're the best in the world."Mascherano, 30, went on to say he is expecting a difficult clash against Athletic as Luis Enrique's side go in search of their first Copa del Rey crown since 2012 at Camp Nou on Saturday.They're a cup team par excellence and they're going to make life very tough for us, he said. The fact that Athletic have preserved their culture in the increasingly globalised world of football makes them a special club. Despite all the limitations, they remain competitive. They deserve the utmost appreciation.Barca end their season with a trip to Berlin on June 6 to face Italian champions Juventus in what Mascherano believes with be a tight and tense affair.They're the biggest team in Italy. They've really prepared for this moment in recent years. It's going to be an extremely tough game and it will be decided on the slimmest of margins.