The departure of Inter Miami head coach Gerardo Martino is official, and according to media reports, a successor is already in the starting blocks. Lionel Messi could soon be coached by his former teammate Javier Mascherano.
After Inter Miami’s first-round exit in the MLS playoffs, it had already been hinted at: coach Gerardo Martino is leaving Inter Miami – for “personal reasons,” as the club officially announced on Friday. The confidant of Lionel Messi – the two had already worked together at FC Barcelona and on the Argentine national team – is leaving the club after just under a year and a half.
An old friend of Messi’s could now take over on the Miami sidelines as his successor. As reported by several media outlets, Javier Mascherano is to become the new Inter coach. An official confirmation is still pending, as Jorge Mas, the managing owner of Messi’s club, did not want to discuss any names publicly on Friday.
But Mas did reveal that he had also spoken to Messi as part of the search for a successor to Martino, to sound out his preferences and find out who could get the best out of the squad. “I want Lionel to feel comfortable with the new coach,” Mas emphasized.
Mascherano and Messi: 414 times on the pitch together
Mascherano and Messi have a long history together. The duo played together for FC Barcelona between 2010 and 2018, and they also played together for the national team. The Argentinian broadcaster TyCSports calculated that they played a total of 414 games together. Mascherano also played with other Miami professionals such as Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez during his playing career.
The 40-year-old ended his career as a professional footballer in the fall of 2020, before starting his coaching career as the coach of the Argentine U-20 national team shortly afterwards. According to the sports newspaper Olé, the association will not stand in the way of Mascherano’s possible move to Miami.
It is still unclear how long Mascherano will be tied to co-owner David Beckham’s club. Messi is under contract in Miami until the end of 2025 – but on Friday, Mas expressed hope that the 2022 world champion would extend his contract again.