Inter Miami have appointed former Liverpool, Barcelona and Argentina defender Javier Mascherano as the team’s new head coach, the MLS club announced on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old will leave his post as manager of Argentina’s youth team to lead Lionel Messi and Miami until the end of the 2027 season. He replaces Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who left the club after a year and a half due to personal reasons.
Mascherano and Messi played together for eight seasons at Barcelona and also competed regularly for the Argentina national team.
In Spain, Mascherano and Messi inspired Barcelona to the 2011 and 2015 Champions League titles and five LaLiga trophies.
Mascherano, who also played for Liverpool and West Ham, led Argentina’s under-23s to the quarterfinals of the soccer competition at the Paris Olympics in August.