Lionel Messi's former Barcelona, Argentina teammate Javier Mascherano named Inter Miami head coach
Inter Miami announced former Barcelona standout Javier Mascherano as head coach on Tuesday, giving talismanic superstar Lionel Messi a reunion with his former club and international teammate.
Former head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino left the club for "personal reasons" earlier this month.
Mascherano takes over an undeniably talented, but potentially flawed roster in Miami. Inter earned their first Supporters' Shield, awarded to the team with the best record in MLS, and finished with a record 74 points on the season. But Inter's defense betrayed them in the playoffs, where they were upset by Atlanta United, denying the club the deep playoff run they'd been expecting.
RELATED: Lionel Messi will have a new MLS coach after Inter Miami shakeup
The Herons' attack is certainly prodigious; led by Messi and Luis Suarez's 20-goal campaigns, Inter scored 79 goals in 34 matches on the season.
The defense, however, is another story. With Messi and Suarez joined by fellow Barcelona alums Jordi Alba and holding midfielder Sergio Busquets, Inter conceded 49 goals on the year. They amassed just six clean sheets, and conceded two or more goals 17 times on the year. Clearly, they're hoping Mascherano can bring some consistency at the back next season.
As a player, Mascherano had a reputation as a hard-charging, hard-tackling defensive midfielder who transitioned to center-back once he moved to Barcelona. He gave the high-flying Blaugrana a spine of steel at the back to augment their explosive Messi-led attack, and remains revered at the club for his knack for perfectly timed tackles that led directly into immaculately-placed passes to jump-start a counter-attack.
His tactical acumen as a player was second-to-none; he was an expert at organizing defenses on the fly. His fearless style of play was even more impressive considering his slight stature, but at his peak, few players were as renowned defensively as Mascherano.
As a manager, though, Mascherano is an interesting choice, given on-field results. His track record with the Argentine U-20 and U-23 teams were inconsistent at best, as the Albiceleste stumbled against Morocco at the 2024 Olympics in their opening match, and were eventually dispatched by France in the quarterfinals. The U-20 side came eighth in the South American Championships in 2023, their worst-ever finish in the competition, and were eliminated in the Round of 16 in the 2023 U-20 World Cup.
The biggest mark in Mascherano's favor at Inter is his relationship with the club's stars. He played with Messi and Busquets for eight years, Alba for six, and Suarez for four with Barca, while spending his entire career alongside Messi for the Argentine national team. That sort of rapport is what Miami is hoping to tap into with Mascherano, allowing him to further unlock the club's defensive potential and giving them a bit more edge next season.
Whether or not he succeeds will likely define the last few years of Messi's career, as Mascherano looks to guide his old teammate back to the kind of success they had at Barcelona.
MORE TOP STORIES From the Big Lead
NBA: Wemby-Draymond Green photo goes viral
NFL: Looking like the end of the road for Aaron Rodgers