As expected, Inter Miami confirmed on Friday that manager Tata Martino was leaving the club, with the 62-year-old Argentine citing ”
personal reasons » for his departure.
“It has been an honor to work at such a special club and to lead such a special team,” Martino said at a press conference, alongside managing owner Jorge Mas and president of football operations Rail Sanllehi. “I enjoyed my time at Inter Miami and will cherish the memories made and relationships forged here for the rest of my life. I leave with nothing but gratitude for my time here and would like to sincerely thank everyone who made this possible. For strictly personal reasons, I have to leave Inter. I can’t come back next year, I have to be in Rosario. »
Messi should continue
The news comes weeks after Miami, winner of the 2024 Supporters’ Shield and top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, losing to Atlanta United. The club is embarking on a quest to find its next manager, while preparing for 2025 and beyond. Although they have not confirmed reports that Miami is set to hire Javier Mascherano, Lionel Messi’s former Argentina and Barcelona teammate, to replace Martino, Mas and Sanllehi spoke about the club’s future , the status of Messi’s contract and the organization’s ambitions.
With Martino’s departure, several reports surfaced on Friday that Mascherano is set to become the club’s next coach, with ESPN reporting that the two sides are in negotiations. The 40-year-old coach recently led Argentina’s under-23 team at the Paris Olympics, where they were hot favorites for the event. However, the Argentines took second place in the group stage and exited the tournament in the quarter-finals after a 1-0 defeat to Thierry Henry’s France.
Mas said Messi has a key role in recruiting and that hiring a coach with an MLS CV is not necessarily a prerequisite. “MLS experience would be a good thing, but I don’t think it’s the main criterion. I think it’s more a question of how to manage the squad with unlimited potential.”Mas said.
“I spoke to Leo on Saturday after he and Tata spoke. I asked him what was important to him and what was important to get the most out of our squad. How can we improve? Leo shared his thoughts with me, much like what I explained.
“Without a doubt, familiarity with Leo and the other stars is an advantage in every way. I want Leo to feel comfortable with the new manager and coach. We went out on the field and took the lead. Leo gave me what I asked for, which was feedback. But it was his involvement and his commitment to me. »
Messi’s contract, meanwhile, is set to expire at the end of 2025, but both parties have an option to extend his contract in South Beach. In an ideal world, the Herons hope to keep it going beyond 2025, as they open their new Miami Freedom Park soccer stadium the following year.
“Leo and I are going to sit down and talk about the future. As I’ve said before and I’ll say it again now, I fully expect that when our new stadium in Miami opens in 2026, after a trophy-laden 2025 season, Leo Messi will be our number 10“, Mas said.
