Former FC Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino is the new head coach of Lionel Messi‘s club Inter Miami. The MLS club announced the appointment of Martino as the Argentine coach makes his return to the MLS. Martino will replace Phil Neville as Inter Miami’s new coach. Inter Miami CEO Jorge Mas and co-owner David Beckham welcomed Gerardo “Tata” Martino to the club.
Official, confirmed. Gerardo Martino has been appointed as new Inter Miami head coach. 👚🇦🇷 #InterMiami
…El Tata will work together with Lionel Messi. pic.twitter.com/H9heNDAd2n
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 28, 2023
David Beckham wrote, “Tata is a highly respected figure in our sport whose track record speaks for itself. We are confident that his achievements in the game and experience as a head coach will inspire our team and excite our fans and look forward to seeing the impact he will have on and off the field.” Meanwhile, Jorge said, “We are very happy to be able to welcome Tata to Inter Miami.“
“We feel he is a coach who matches our ambitions as a club and we’re optimistic about what we can accomplish together.” Gerardo Martino makes his return to the MLS after 5 years, having left as Atlanta United’s coach back in 2018. Martino won the MLS Cup and the MLS coach-of-the-year with Atlanta United back in 2018. He has also been the coach of FC Barcelona from 2013 to 2014.
“We are very happy to be able to welcome Tata to Inter Miami. We feel he is a coach who matches our ambitions as a club and we’re optimistic about what we can accomplish together. Tata has coached at the highest levels and we believe that experience will be hugely beneficial to… pic.twitter.com/KkBrgoq0pZ
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) June 28, 2023
Moreover, he has also been in charge of the national teams of Paraguay and Argentina. In addition to this, Martino was in charge of the Mexican national team before joining Inter Miami. Although Martino guided Mexico to the World Cup 2022 finals, his side was knocked out in the group stages, losing 2-0 to Messi’s Argentina. He also led Mexico to their third-place finish at the recently concluded Concacaf Nations League.
When did Gerardo Martino coach Lionel Messi?
Gerardo Martino’s appointment as Inter Miami’s new head coach will see him reuniting with Lionel Messi. Tata Martino has coached Messi for two teams- FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. The two Argentine stars share a close relationship with both of them hailing from Rosario. Moreover, Martino has also been the coach of Messi’s boyhood club, Newell’s Old Boys from 2012-13.
Although Lionel Messi’s close relationship with Gerardo Martino had caused a huge controversy in FC Barcelona. Back in Rosario, Martino hinted that Messi and his father might have played a role in his appointment as FC Barcelona’s coach. He reportedly said, “The details of how the situation developed I don’t know (but) I have no doubt Jorge (Messi’s father) and Lionel had some influence.“
Although Lionel Messi later denied having played any part in Martino’s appointment. However, Martino’s tenure at FC Barcelona didn’t turn out to be successful. Under his leadership, the Catalan club just won the Spanish Super Cup and also lost the La Liga title to Atletico Madrid on the final match day. However, he got another opportunity to coach the 7x Ballon d’Or winner, this time with Argentina.
Having failed terribly at FC Barcelona, Martino hoped to guide Messi to his first international trophy with Argentina. He took over the national team in 2015 and guided the team to the Copa America final.
Argentina finished as runners-up, having lost the final against Chile on penalties. The 2016 Copa America final was a repeat of the previous year’s final, only this time, Messi announced his retirement after losing the final to Chile again.
Gerardo Martino’s salary and net worth
Gerardo “Tata” Martino was one of the highest-paid coaches at the FIFA World Cup 2022. According to reports from MARCA, Martino and his coaching staff were reportedly paid $15 million by the Mexican Football Federation. Moreover, the Mexican team also chose not to stay in a hotel in Doha like the other participating nations. Instead, they opted to stay at a resort outside the city.
As Mexico’s manager, Tata Martino’s annual salary was around $2 million. His net worth is reportedly around $5 million, as per Surprise Sports. However, Martino’s potential salary at Inter Miami isn’t known yet. Although his probable salary at his new club could be estimated to be around or more than a million dollars annually. This estimation is based on his previous salary in the MLS, which was less than $1 million annually.