FORT LAUDERDALE.- The Argentinian Javier Mascherano This Tuesday he showed himself eager to demonstrate his worth as a coach, during his official presentation as coach of the Inter Miami of the MLS.
“I am convinced that I am qualified to be able to coach the team,” Mascherano, who is going to coach the first club of his career at 40 years old, said at a press conference.
“I have been coaching Argentina’s youth teams for three years” and “my almost 20-year career” as a player also supports me, declared the new coach of the Florida club.
Mascherano replaces Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, who decided to leave the team for personal reasons, days after Inter Miami was eliminated in the first round of the MLS playoffs after leading the regular season.
The new coach will have four former FC Barcelona teammates under his command: Lionel MessiLuis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
With them and several young people whom he coached in the Albiceleste youth categories, such as Tomás Avilés and Facundo Farías, Mascherano expressed confidence in being able to fight for all the competitions that Inter competes in.
Its presentation came two days before the draw for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, in which the Florida team will participate.
As a player, Mascherano played 147 matches as an Argentine international and played in the World Cups in Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018.
The owner of Inter Miami, Jorge Mas, highlighted Mascherano’s career, whom he defined as a “great soccer player” and a “great human being.”
The businessman revealed that he had tried to sign the Argentine four years ago so that he could play his last season as a player and then take over the reins of the team. The two men did not then reach an agreement.
Benefits everywhere
Mascherano ruled out that the friendship that unites him with his former Barcelona teammates, including Messi, could harm his work.
“Things are separated. One thing is work, another thing is friendship,” he said. “I think it’s much easier when you have that possibility of closeness with the player, because in the end there is a greater knowledge between us than perhaps with other players.”
