Miami: Inter Miami have appointed former Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano as their new head coach, the Major League Soccer club said on Tuesday.
Mascherano, who will coach his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi at the club, replaces Gerardo Martino who stood down last week due to ‘personal reasons’.
The 40-year-old has most recently worked as coach of the Argentine Under-20 and the Olympic team which competed in the Paris Olympics.
He made 203 appearances for Barcelona and as well as playing alongside Messi, he was a teammate of current Inter Miami players Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez.
In his job with the Argentine FA’s youth set-up Mascherano coached Inter Miami’s players Tomas Aviles, Facundo Farmas and Federico Redondo
“This job requires somebody with the experience to be able to maximise our unique collection of talent — from our global superstars, to our burgeoning home-grown 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.
This year, Miami dominated the MLS regular season, winning the Supporters’ Shield for the team with the best overall record, breaking the points record in the process — an achievement which led FIFA to hand them a place in next year’s Club World Cup.
But Miami lost out to Atlanta, in a best-three opening round to the MLS Cup playoffs in what was a major upset.
Club co-owner David Beckham said he was sure that the new coach had the qualities needed for MLS’s most high profile club.
“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.
In his playing career Mascherano, made his mark with River Plate in his homeland before a season with Corinthians in Brazil. He then played in England for West Ham United and Liverpool before he moved to Barcelona.
But Miami lost out to Atlanta, in a best-three opening round to the MLS Cup playoffs in what was a major upset.
Club co-owner David Beckham said he was sure that the new coach had the qualities needed for MLS’s most high profile club.
“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.
In his playing career Mascherano, made his mark with River Plate in his homeland before a season with Corinthians in Brazil. He then played in England for West Ham United and Liverpool before he moved to Barcelona.
