Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino announced on Friday that he is leaving the club for personal reasons.
“It was an honor to work at such a special club and to lead such a special team. I enjoyed my time at Inter Miami and will cherish the memories and relationships built 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,” Martino said in a statement.
Martino led the team to a record-breaking regular season finish in 2024, with Miami earning the Supporters’ Shield with 74 points. But the club followed it up with a poor performance in the MLS playoffs, crashing out of the first round after losses to Atlanta United.
According to multiple reportsJavier Mascherano will replace Martino. Mascherano is a former international teammate of Lionel Messi at Argentina and played with Messi at Barcelona for eight seasons.
Martino became head coach of Inter Miami in June 2023, overseeing not only Messi’s takeover but also the other excellent players brought in to build a team around him. The team brought in three of Messi’s former Barcelona teammates: Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez, while also reshuffling salaries to bring in some key young players.
Before joining Inter Miami in 2023, Martino coached at several places, including Barcelona and the Argentina national team. The Argentine manager also led Atlanta to an MLS Cup victory in 2018, earning MLS Coach of the Year.
Martino’s departure will be a huge change for a team that already has a lot to figure out this offseason. Inter Miami will now have to find a new coach before 2025, a year that will be eventful for the club: in addition to the 2025 MLS season, Inter Miami will also participate in the FIFA Club World Cup after (somewhat controversially). ) securing a spot with the 2024 regular season title.
