Javier Mascherano is the new head coach of Inter Miami, the the team announced Tuesday.
Mascherano, whose contract runs until the 2027 season, replaces Tata Martino, who resigned last week for personal reasons.
Mascherano, 40, joins MLS after coaching Argentina’s U-20 and U-23 men’s teams since 2021. Most recently, he guided Argentina to the knockout stage of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“This position requires someone with the experience to be able to maximize our unique collection of talent – from our global superstars, to our burgeoning local players, to our young international prospects, and everything in between,” he said. said Jorge Mas, owner of Inter Miami. a declaration.
“Javier has amassed unrivaled experience during his career, playing on the world’s biggest stages and coaching at international youth level; he has the blend of skills and experience we were looking for, and has even had direct coaching experience with Tomás Avilés, Facundo Farías, Federico Redondo and Benjamin Cremaschi We believe Javier is an important addition to our club as we continue our quest to be part of the world’s elite, establishing a new standard in football in North America.
Before moving into management, Mascherano had a long playing career at clubs such as River Plate, Corinthians, West Ham United, Liverpool and Barcelona, where he won five La Liga titles, as well as the Champions League, the UEFA Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Cup championship twice.
During his eight seasons at Barcelona, Mascherano was part of a Barça team that also included current Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez. He also represented Argentina 147 times at international level, appearing in four World Cups and five Copa América tournaments alongside Messi. They were also both part of Albiceleste’s gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Olympics.
Mascherano joins an Inter Miami team after a disappointing 2024 season. After earn 74 points and the MLS Supporters’ Shield during the regular season, the the side crashed in the first round of the playoffs against Atlanta United.
Will there be any changes to the list for 2025? Alba and Suárez’s contracts expired after the season and Inter Miami are reportedly negotiating to bring them both back. Busquets and Messi have one year remaining on their contracts and Mas said last week that he expects Messi to stay beyond 2025 as the club moves into its new stadium ahead of the 2026 MLS season.
