Gerardo Martino, who coached Lionel Messi while he was with Argentina and Barcelona, has been named the new head coach of Inter Miami of the Major League Soccer. This appointment sets up a meeting between Messi and his countrymen Martino.
Messi was coached by Martino, also known as “Tata,” during his time with both the Spanish club team and the national squad of his country. He was most recently in charge of Mexico, and prior to that, he served in Major League Soccer (MLS) with Atlanta United, who won the championship in 2018.
After Miami, who was in last place in the Eastern Conference, let go of its English coach Phil Neville, many people began to anticipate the arrival of Martino.
Once the 60-year-old’s employment paperwork has been finalized, he will take over the team from Javier Morales, who has been serving in an interim capacity.
“It gives us great pleasure to be able to extend a warm welcome to Tata, who has joined Inter Miami. “We feel that he is a coach who matches our ambitions as a club, and we’re optimistic about what we can accomplish together,” said Jorge Mas, the Managing Owner of Inter Miami. “We’re looking forward to working with him.”
“Tata has coached at the highest levels, and we believe that his experience will be hugely beneficial to us as we aim to compete for titles here,” he continued.
Earlier this month, Messi announced that he would be leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the conclusion of his contract and joining Miami, which is co-owned by David Beckham. Messi’s last club was Paris Saint-Germain.
Martino, now 60 years old, was a player and coach for the Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys at the time when Lionel Messi was a student there.
Beckham remarked that Tata “is a highly respected figure in our sport whose track record speaks for itself.” Tata “has had a very successful career.”
“We are confident that his accomplishments in the game and experience as a head coach will inspire our team and excite our fans,” the team said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing the impact he will have on and off the field.”
In addition, the South Florida team anticipates finalizing the acquisition of Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, who was one of Martino’s previous charges at Barcelona. Mas has stated that Miami might bring in as many as five players during the summer transfer window.
Martino has been jobless ever since the termination of his contract with Mexico following the country’s poor performance at the World Cup, in which El Tri failed to advance past the group stage.
“I’m very excited to join a big club like Inter Miami, and I know that together we can accomplish many great things,” stated Martino. “I’m looking forward to getting started.”
“The club has the necessary infrastructure to be a major competitor in the region, and I believe that with the hard work and commitment of everyone, we can get there,” he added. “I believe that with everyone’s hard work and commitment we can get there.”
Martino established himself as a prominent coach in Paraguay, where he was responsible for guiding the national team to the runner-up slot in the 2011 Copa America.
After a successful stint at Newell’s, he was given the head coaching position at Barcelona for the 2013–14 season. After that, he was in charge of the Argentine national team for two years before being hired by Atlanta in 2016.
Martino will also be reunited with Venezuelan striker Josef Martinez, who was an integral part of Atlanta’s run to the MLS Cup victory in 2018. Martinez scored 31 goals in 2018, which was a significant factor in the club’s success.