Javier Mascherano is the new coach of Inter Miami, the The team announced Tuesday.
Mascherano, whose contract extends until the 2027 season, replaces Tata Martino, who resigned last week for personal reasons.
Mascherano, 40, comes to MLS after coaching Argentina’s U-20 and U-23 men’s teams since 2021. Most recently, he guided Argentina to the knockout stage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“This job requires someone with the experience to be able to maximize our unique collection of talent, from our global superstars to our burgeoning local players, our young international prospects and everything in between,” said Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas in a statement.
“Javier has amassed unrivaled experience in his career, from playing on the world’s biggest stages to coaching at youth international level; he has the combination of skills and experience we were looking for, and has even had direct coaching experience under Tomás Avilés. Facundo Farías, Federico Redondo and Benjamín Cremaschi We believe that Javier is an important addition to our Club as we continue in our quest to be among the world’s elite, setting a new standard for football in North America.”
Before taking up management, Mascherano had a long playing career at clubs such as River Plate, Corinthians, West Ham United, Liverpool and Barcelona, where he won five La Liga titles, as well as the Champions League, the Cup UEFA and FIFA Club. World Cup championship twice.
During his eight seasons with Barcelona, Mascherano was part of a Barça team that also featured current Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez. He also represented Argentina 147 times internationally, playing in four World Cups and five Copa Américas alongside Messi, who were also part of La Albiceleste’s gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Olympic Games.
Mascherano joins an Inter Miami team that is coming off a disappointing 2024 season. After earning 74 points and the MLS Supporters’ Shield during the regular season, the team fell in the first round of the playoffs to Atlanta United.
Will there be changes to the roster for 2025? Alba and Suarez’s contracts expired at the end of the season and Inter Miami are reportedly negotiating to bring them both back. Busquets and Messi have one year left on their contracts and Mas said last week that he expects Messi to stay beyond 2025, when the club moves into its new stadium ahead of the 2026 MLS season.