Messi has made his feelings clear on Phil Neville replacement at Inter Miami

26 June 2023 , 21:53

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Messi has made his feelings clear on Phil Neville replacement at Inter Miami

Lionel Messi is set to be reunited with former Barcelona and Argentina manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino with the 60-year-old set to succeed Phil Neville in charge at Inter Miami. Messi and Martino shared an embrace at Saturday’s testimonial game for Maxi Rodriguez in Rosario, where Messi scored a first-half hat-trick.

After the game, which saw Newell’s Old Boys face an Argentina team in an exhibition to celebrate the end of former Liverpool and Atletico Madrid star Rodriguez’s career, Martino revealed: “We’re talking with Inter Miami.”

Martino, who is known for his high-pressing tactics, would take over Miami amid a bizarre situation. Amid the huge excitement and optimism after the signings of Messi and his former Barca teammate Sergio Busquets, Miami have been the worst team in MLS this season - 11 points adrift of the playoffs with little more than half of the season played.

Neville was fired on June 2 after four straight MLS defeats, and Inter have lost their three league games since with Javier Morales in interim charge, suffering a 4-1 beating by Philadelphia Union on Sunday.

Martino has a wealth of experience from a 25-year managerial career, including an MLS Cup title-winning season with Atlanta United in 2018, but the job that awaits him at DRV PNK Stadium is sure to test his abilities, even with Messi and Busquets at his disposal.

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But Messi has a strong relationship with Martino, even if his season in charge of Barca in 2013-14 yielded only the Spanish Super Cup as they lost out to Atletico for the La Liga title on the final day of the campaign. Martino was fired but soon returned to work with Argentina, losing to Copa America finals on penalties to Chile before he resigned in 2016.

Gerardo Martino and Lionel Messi together in Argentina at the weekend (AP)

"I like Tata Martino,” Messi said in 2013, when Martino was coming under scrutiny at Camp Nou. “He is a great coach and he showed that in the Clausura (a tournament in Argentina) with what he did for the team, the way it ended and how he did it. He gets his teams playing well and we all respect him."

After his time in charge of Argentina, Matino moved to MLS to take over at Atlanta United in 2016 and he would win the MLS Cup in his final match in charge before being named head coach of the Mexico national team in 2019. He led Mexico to a disappointing 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar, losing out to Argentina and Poland as they were eliminated the group stages, with Martino leaving the job when his contract expired at the tournament.

Sam Frost