Mascherano Prioritizes Bond With Messi Over Professional Decisions

Javier Mascherano takes up the role of manager for the Inter Miami team, after the departure of Tata Martino. The team suffered an early exit in the MLS 2024 season, as Mascherano vows to prioritise his bond with Lionel Messi.

Javier Mascherano has been appointed as the new manager of the Inter Miami team for Major League Soccer. He said that he will be willing to maintain his friendship with former Barcelona players such as Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets. Talking especially about Messi, he said that the relationship between him and Messi is beyond football.

During the 2024 Major League Soccer, the team had an early exit from the tournament, due to which there were various changes to the backroom staff. Tata Martino left the team's manager post, after leading them for two consecutive seasons. After his departure from the team, they hired Javier Mascherano, who is a former midfielder for Barcelona and Liverpool.

It should be noted that this will be the first professional senior football tournament, where Mascherano will be leading the team, as he previously led the youth team of Argentina. Although he will be watching several new faces in the dressing room, he'll also encounter some of his former teammates such as Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, Busquets and Jordi Alba.

Recently, Mascherano had a press conference after being appointed as the manager, where he said,“I told them that I’m not going to walk into the dressing room and act like we’re not friends. I told Jorge (Mas), I told Leo and the other guys, that I’m not going to jeopardise the relationship that I have built with them over the years for a job. I’m not like that. Life goes on beyond football.”