Javier Mascherano, a former Argentina midfielder, has been named Inter Miami’s new head coach, the Major League Soccer team announced on Tuesday.
Mascherano will coach Lionel Messi, his old Barcelona teammate, at the club.
Martino resigned last week for “personal reasons.” The 40-year-old’s most recent position was coach of the Olympic team and Argentine Under-20s at the Olympics in Paris.
In addition to playing with Messi, he made 203 appearances for Barcelona and was a teammate of Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets, who are currently with Inter Miami.
Mascherano coached Federico Redondo, Facundo Farias, and Tomas Aviles for Inter Miami while he was employed with the Argentine FA’s development setup.
“This job requires somebody with the experience to be able to maximise our unique collection of talent – from our global superstars, to our burgeoning homegrown players, to our young international prospects, and everything in between,” said Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas.
“Javier has amassed unmatched experience in his career, from playing on the world’s biggest stages, to coaching at the youth international level; he has the blend of skills and experience we were looking for.
“We believe Javier is an important addition to our club as we continue on our quest to be among the world’s elite, setting a new standard for football in North America,” added Mas.
Miami broke the points record and won the Supporters’ Shield for the team with the best overall record this year, dominating the MLS regular season.
As a result, Fifa awarded them a spot in the Club World Cup the following year.
However, Miami suffered a significant upset when they lost to Atlanta in a best-three first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.
David Beckham, a co-owner of the team, expressed his confidence that the new coach have the skills required by the most prominent club in Major League Soccer.
“Javier has always demonstrated what makes him great – relentless determination with the knowledge, instincts and understanding to back it up. We’re very excited to welcome him to lead our team,” said Beckham.
Prior to spending a season with Corinthians in Brazil, Mascherano established himself as a player with River Plate in his native country.
After that, he played for Liverpool and West Ham United in England before relocating to Barcelona.
The defensive midfielder played for five Spanish championship teams at Camp Nou and twice won the Champions League with the Catalan squad.
“To be able to lead a club like Inter Miami is an honour for me, and a privilege I will strive to make the most of,” Mascherano said.
“I was drawn to the organisation’s undeniable ambition, and the infrastructure it has to support it.
“I’m looking forward to working with the people at Inter Miami to help the club reach new heights, and to give the fans more unforgettable moments,” he added.
The third managerial change in MLS on Tuesday was Mascherano’s hire.
New York City FC, which is owned by Manchester City’s City Football Group, announced the departure of coach Nick Cushing after the team lost to local rivals the New York Red Bulls at home on Saturday, eliminating them from the playoffs.
Olof Mellberg, a former Sweden captain and former Aston Villa defender, was named the next coach of St. Louis City, the second-year team that did not make the playoffs this season.
