Javier Mascherano is officially the new coach of Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. The Argentine will be presented at a press conference on Tuesday, December 3 at 12 p.m. Miami time (18:00 in Spain).
The Argentina and Barcelona legend will join Inter Miami on January 10 to begin preseason. It will be his first club coaching job following his spell as head coach of Argentina’s U20 and Olympic national teams. Mascherano’s contract runs until the end of the 2027 Major League Soccer (MLS) season.
“This job requires someone with the necessary experience to be able to get the most out of our unique collection of talent, from our global superstars to our burgeoning youth players, to our young international prospects and everything in between. Javier has gained unparalleled experience in his career, from playing in the world’s top competitions to coaching international youth teams; he has the combination of skills and experience we were looking for, and even has experience coaching Tomas Aviles, Facundo Farias, Federico Redondo and Benjamin Cremaschi. We believe Javier is an important addition to our club as we continue to strive to be among the elite worldwide, setting a new standard for soccer in North America,” said managing owner Jorge Mas.
“Throughout his career as one of the best players in the world and as an experienced coach, Javier has always exhibited what makes him great: determination along with the knowledge and understanding of football to back it up. We are very excited to have someone of his calibre to lead our First Team into an exciting and opportunity-filled period,” said co-owner David Beckham.
“To be able to manage at a club like Inter Miami is an honour for me, it is a privilege that I will try to make the most of. I was attracted by the ambition of the organisation, the infrastructure it has to support it,” said Mascherano. “I’m excited to work with everyone at Inter Miami to help the club reach new heights and give the fans unforgettable moments.”
The successful career of the former defender and midfielder saw him shine for several teams, most notably Liverpool FC in the English Premier League and FC Barcelona in LaLiga, as well as with the Argentina national team. He brings winning experience at the highest levels to Inter Miami dating back to his playing days; his achievements include playing more than 350 games for Barcelona, winning two UEFA Champions League titles, five LaLiga titles, five Copa del Rey titles and two FIFA Club World Cup titles. He was named Barcelona’s best player in the 2013-14 season and was part of the Champions League Ideal Team in the 2014-15 season.
The San Lorenzo, Argentina native represented Argentina internationally 147 times, often captaining La Albiceleste. His total number of matches played is the second most in the country’s history only behind current Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi.
At Barcelona, Mascherano was a teammate of current Inter Miami players Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez. He is also familiar with several of Inter Miami’s younger players, having worked with them with Argentina’s youth teams; Mascherano called up Tomas Aviles, Benjamin Cremaschi, Facundo Farias and Federico Redondo at various stages of his career as a coach of Argentina’s youth teams.
