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Javier Mascherano is stepping down as head coach of the Argentina Under-20 team to take over as the new manager of Inter Miami FC. This move reunites him with Lionel Messi, his former teammate with both the Argentina national team and FC Barcelona.
Tata Martino has decided to resign after Inter Miami’s elimination from the MLS playoffs, and a decision regarding his replacement will be made in the coming weeks, with Mascherano widely rumored to be the frontrunner.
Despite boasting a star-studded lineup featuring Argentine legend Messi and three of his former Barcelona teammates, Miami's season ended in disappointment with a first-round exit from the MLS Playoffs. The team was eliminated after losing the best-of-three series to Atlanta United.
Martino clarified that he wanted to address rumors and emphasized that his decision to leave was purely for personal reasons. He explained that he needed to return to his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, and that the choice to step down was made before the team's first playoff game in late October.
Despite his departure, Martino’s time at Inter Miami was marked by significant success, as he led the club to its first two titles in its short history: the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 MLS Supporters Shield.
Javier Mascherano coming in for Tata Martino
Inter Miami began its search for a new head coach on November 16, shortly after co-owner Jorge Mas and president of football operations Raúl Sanllehi were informed of Tata Martino's departure.
According to Argentinian media, Mascherano is willing to sign a long-term contract with Inter Miami, which would mark his first senior club managerial position after earning recognition within the Argentina national team setup.
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Mascherano and Lionel Messi spent eight seasons together at Barcelona and were also key players for the Argentina national team. During their time at Barcelona, Mascherano featured in over 400 matches alongside Messi, helping the club secure five La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies. As the manager of the Argentina U-20 team, Mascherano has achieved an impressive 13-1-8 record.
✍🏻🇦🇷 Javier Mascherano will be officially announced as new Inter Miami manager in the upcoming days.
All documents are in place, three year deal for Mascherano who’s gonna work with Messi again.
Diego Placente replaces Mascherano as Argentina U20 head coach. pic.twitter.com/2c0milHvSF
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 23, 2024
“We have a very unique situation at Inter Miami where we have the best player in the world on our team, accompanied by generational talents like Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, accompanied by academy kids like Benja Cremaschi, Noah Allen, Ian Fray, David Ruiz, who have played significant minutes, and also young budding stars like Facundo Farias, Toto Aviles, Diego Gomez, Yannick Bright, Fede Redondo, so it will take a manager to play the attacking style we want to play with that combination of players,” remarked Jorge mas via Miami Herald’s Michelle Kaufman.
A new era for Inter Miami
Mascherano would take over as the fourth head coach in Inter Miami's brief five-year history, succeeding Diego Alonso, Phil Neville, and Tata Martino.
Mas also mentioned that while experience in MLS would be advantageous, it is not a critical requirement for the new head coach. He emphasized that the key qualities they were seeking in a candidate were the ability to manage a team composed of both established stars and emerging talent.
While awaiting the official confirmation of the deal, Mascherano will begin overseeing Inter Miami's squad at the start of the new year to kick off pre-season preparations. In Miami, he will work alongside Lionel Messi and manage fellow Argentinians Oscar Ustari, Tomás Avilés, Marcelo Weigandt, Nicolás Freire, David Martínez, Franco Negri, Federico Redondo, Benjamín Cremaschi, and Facundo Farías.
