Lionel Messi’s first full season with Inter Miami ended in disappointment as the team failed to win the MLS Cup. Following this setback, head coach Tata Martino has stepped down, citing personal reasons.
Martino guided the Lionel Messi-starring club to 74 points (22-4-8) and the Supporters’ Shield in the regular season, but Inter Miami fell short in the MLS Cup Playoffs. The club was eliminated in the first round by No. 9 seed Atlanta United.
The club has scheduled a news conference for Friday at which Inter Miami executives and Martino are expected to speak.
The 61-year-old became Inter Miami’s head coach in June 2023, replacing Phil Neville. His appointment came during a transformative period for the club, marked by Lionel Messi’s arrival along with Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and later Luis Suarez.
Despite inheriting a struggling team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the 61-year-old turned things around, under his guidance Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup 2023 tournament after the arrival of superstars Messi and Sergio Busquets that summer.
However, their MLS Cup dreams ended early, with the team losing to Atlanta United in the playoffs, despite Messi’s two goals in the match.
Martino’s departure leaves Inter Miami searching for a new coach to lead the team forward.
With Messi, Busquets, and Alba still part of the squad, and rumours of Neymar possibly joining, Inter Miami remains a star-studded team.
They will have another chance to shine globally when they participate in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which starts on June 15.
Previously, Martino, a native of Argentina, led Atlanta United to the MLS Cup title in 2018.
He chose not to renew his contract after that season, again citing personal reasons. He left that role after Mexico failed to advance out of group play in the 2022 World Cup for the first time in nearly 45 years.