Javier Mascherano’s introduction as Inter Miami’s head coach on Tuesday got off to a shaky start. Battling a cough and pausing for sips of water, he took a few moments to settle in.
“Air conditioning in Miami,” he quipped. “It causes me problems.”
Fortunately, Inter Miami plays its matches outdoors. Mascherano, Lionel Messi’s former teammate, is now his coach. Hired last week to succeed Gerardo “Tata” Martino, the Argentine legend has already settled into his new role, gearing up for the team’s training camp set to kick off next month.
“I am convinced I can do it,” Mascherano said. “I have no doubt.”
Mascherano – Messi’s teammate with Barcelona and Argentina’s national team – was hired after a brisk search that took only a few days to complete once Martino informed Inter Miami he wasn’t returning for personal reasons.
In truth, Mascherano’s path to Inter Miami started five years ago.
The team initially recruited him in August 2019 in what Inter Miami viewed as a two-pronged deal. He would play for the club in 2020, its inaugural season, then take over as a coach of the club’s academy the following year. It didn’t come together then; the timing wasn’t right.
Fast forward to now, and Mascherano is finally with the club.
“I always thought he would be an amazing mentor,” managing owner Jorge Mas said. “Five years later, he’s here. It’s fate.”
Martino stepped down after 1.5 seasons, one where the team won the Leagues Cup in 2023 and broke the Major League Soccer mark for best regular-season record on the way to the Supporters’ Shield this season before faltering in the first round of the playoffs.
“To be able to coach this club is a very ambitious project,” Mascherano said.
Mascherano is 40, only three years older than Inter Miami stars like Messi and Luis Suarez. He has longstanding relationships with not only the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi but also Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets; the five were teammates together at Barcelona.
Mascherano says it won’t be an issue to transition from teammate and friend to coach.
“Not only do I have a relationship with Leo, I have three other players on this roster that I played with for a long time, and I have a relationship with. I’m not going to deny that,” Mascherano said. “You separate things. One thing is work, one thing is friendship.”
Mascherano most recently coached Argentina’s under-20 and Olympic teams; the national federation released him from the last two years of his contract to allow him to join Inter Miami on a three-year deal.
“I’m very thankful to Argentina for understanding this is a great step for me and for allowing me to take it,” Mascherano said.
Martino arrived at Inter Miami with a long coaching resume. He was an MLS Cup winner, a World Cup coach – for both Messi and Mascherano with Argentina – and had decades of experience.
Mascherano is relatively untested on the global stage. However, he has the second-most international appearances of any player in Argentina’s history – only Messi has more – and noted that playing for the national team, plus coaching at the youth level, has given him a deep understanding of how to handle pressure and expectations.
“Obviously, people in the world are going to have opinions, and it’s a valid opinion, of course,” Mascherano said. “But I am convinced that I am capable of coaching this team.”