June 29 – If you hire the best player in the world then you are going to need one of the best managers.
Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino (pictured left), who was manager of Mexico at the Qatar 2022 World Cup and managed Lionel Messi at Barcelona between 2013-14 and with the Argentina national team between 2014-16, has been hired for the job at InterMiami.
Martino, from Argentina, replaces Phil Neville who was fired earlier this month before the announcement that Messi was joining the club.
Martino has managed in the MLS before, spending two seasons at Atlanta United before joining the Mexicans in 2019. He left Mexico after a disappointing World Cup and with the federation under new presidential control.
Martino’s record with Messi is not stellar if it is measured in trophies.
At Barcelona they lost the LaLiga title on the last game of the season to Atletico Madrid in 2014, while with Argentina they lost both the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals.
They are now reunited at a club at the bottom of the MLS but with a lot of the season left to play, they are only 11 points off the play-offs which Martino says is still achievable.
As well as Messi he will have former Barca teammate Sergio Busquets in his squad.
Speaking at his first press conference he said: “I spoke to Leo and yesterday spoke to Sergio. Sometimes people hear Miami they think holidays. But these two players are not coming here for a vacation, they are here to work and compete and win. That is in their blood.”
The excitement of Messi’s arrival in Miami and the MLS is palpable. He is expected to make his debut against Cruz Azul in the new Leagues Cup competition (played between all the teams in the MLS and LigaMX) on July 21.
“We are very happy to be able to welcome Tata to Inter Miami. We feel he is a coach who matches our ambitions as a club and we’re optimistic about what we can accomplish together,” said Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas.
“Right now, this is a team that shows an adverse picture in the standings,” said Martino. “It is also decimated by injuries and by the players called up to their national teams.
“But there are great expectations around the new players that are going to come soon. They are really important. I hope that they can help us to make the team better from an emotional and playing point of view so we can have a season-ending more in line with what is expected of this club.”
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