Javier Mascherano has been appointed as the new head coach of Inter Miami, as announced by the team on Tuesday.
Mascherano, who has signed a contract until the end of the 2027 season, takes over from Tata Martino, who resigned last week for personal reasons.
The 40-year-old Mascherano transitions to MLS after coaching Argentina’s U-20 and U-23 men’s teams since 2021. His most recent achievement was guiding Argentina to the knockout stage of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“This job requires somebody with the experience to be able to maximize our unique collection of talent – from our global superstars, to our burgeoning homegrown players, to our young international prospects, and everything in between,” said Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas in a statement.
“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, and even has had direct coaching experience with Tomás Avilés, Facundo Farías, Federico Redondo, and Benjamin Cremaschi. 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 fútbol in North America.”
Prior to his coaching career, Mascherano enjoyed a successful playing career representing clubs such as River Plate, Corinthians, West Ham United, Liverpool, and Barcelona, where he won numerous titles including five La Liga championships, the Champions League, UEFA Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup twice.
During his time at Barcelona, Mascherano played alongside current Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suárez. He also earned 147 caps for Argentina, participating in four World Cups and five Copa América tournaments alongside Messi. Both players were part of Argentina’s gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Olympics.
Mascherano joins Inter Miami following a disappointing 2024 season where the team, despite winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield in the regular season with 74 points, exited in the first round of the playoffs to Atlanta United.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, there may be changes to the roster as the contracts of Alba and Suárez expired. Negotiations are reportedly underway to retain both players. Busquets and Messi have one year remaining on their contracts, with Mas expressing confidence that Messi will continue beyond 2025 as the club prepares to move into a new stadium ahead of the 2026 MLS season.