FORMER Barcelona boss Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino will reunite with Lionel Messi after being appointed as the new manager of Inter Miami.
Martino, 60, replaces ex-Manchester United defender Phil Neville, who was sacked on 1 June.
The Argentine has been out of work since leaving Mexico after their exit at the 2022 World Cup group stage.
“Tata is a highly respected figure in our sport whose track record speaks for itself,” said co-owner David Beckham.
“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.”
The club said Martino “will assume coaching responsibilities upon the receipt of his work documentation”.
He will soon link up with compatriot Lionel Messi, 36, who agreed a deal upon his exit from Paris St-Germain on 7 June.
It will be a third time that seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi and Martino have worked together, having previously collaborated at Barcelona and with the Argentina national team.
Martino has experience in the United States and led Atlanta United to MLS Cup glory in 2018 during a two-year stay.
Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas 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.
“Tata has coached at the highest levels and we believe that experience will be hugely beneficial to us as we aim to compete for titles here.”
Inter Miami sit bottom of the MLS standings with 13 losses from 18 fixtures in 2023 and Javier Morales has been in temporary charge since Neville’s departure.
