Javier Mascherano is the new head coach of Inter Miami, the team announced on Tuesday.
Mascherano, whose contract runs through the 2027 season, replaces Tata Martino, who stepped down last week due to personal reasons.
The 40-year-old Mascherano comes to MLS after coaching Argentina's U-20 and U-23 men's teams since 2021. Most recently, he guided Argentina to the knock-out stage of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"This job requires somebody with the experience to be able to maximize our unique collection of talent - from our global superstars, to our burgeoning Homegrown players, to our young international prospects, and everything in between," said Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas in a statement.
"Javier has amassed unmatched experience in his career, from playing on the world's biggest stages, to coaching at the youth international level; he has the blend of skills and experience we were looking for, and even has had direct coaching experience with Tomás Avilés, Facundo Farías, Federico Redondo, and Benjamin Cremaschi. We believe Javier is an important addition to our Club as we continue on our quest to be among the world's elite, setting a new standard for fútbol in North America."
Before he entered management, Mascherano had a long playing career featuring for such clubs as River Plate, Corinthians, West Ham United, Liverpool, and Barcelona, where he won five La Liga titles, as well as the Champions League, UEFA Cup and FIFA Club World Cup championship twice.
During his eight seasons with Barcelona, Mascherano was part of a Barça side that also featured current Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suárez. He also represented Argentina 147 times at the international level, playing in four World Cups and five Copa América tournaments alongside Messi, who also both featured on La Albiceleste's gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Olympics.
Mascherano joins an Inter Miami team coming off a disappointing 2024 season. After earning 74 points and the MLS Supporters' Shield during the regular season, the side crashed out in the first round of the playoffs to Atlanta United.
Will there be changes to the roster for 2025? The contracts of Alba and Suárez expired after the season and Inter Miami are reportedly negotiating to bring them both back. Busquets and Messi have one year left on their deals and Mas said last week that he expects Messi will stay beyond 2025 as the club moves into its new stadium ahead of the 2026 MLS season.