Inter Miami confirms hiring of Tata Martino, reuniting him with Lionel Messi

Inter Miami confirmed the hiring of Gerardo “Tata” Martino as coach on Wednesday, setting the stage for him to be reunited with Lionel Messi next month.

Martino coached Messi with both Barcelona and Argentina’s national team. Messi has announced that he is coming to Major League Soccer to play for Inter Miami, with his contract set to be signed in time for a planned debut match on July 21.

Martino’s hiring was widely reported before the team made the announcement. He coached Atlanta United to an MLS championship in 2018, winning the league’s coach of the year that season.

Martino replaces Phil Neville, who was fired four weeks ago. Inter Miami is 5-13-0 in MLS play this season, the worst record of the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference.