What is it like to coach Lionel Messi? Tata Martino explains having ...
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Tata Martino has explained what it is like to coach Lionel Messi, having worked with the all-time great at Barcelona, Inter Miami and with Argentina.
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WHAT HAPPENED? The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has opened a new chapter in his remarkable career this summer after taking the decision to go chasing the American dream. Messi, fresh from severing ties with Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent, has been taken to Florida by the MLS franchise co-owned by Manchester United and England legend David Beckham. He has been joined in the Sunshine State by ex-Barca team-mates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, as well as fellow countryman Martino – a coach he knows well from previous spells working together in domestic and international football.
WHAT THEY SAID: Ex-Barca and Argentina boss Martino, who is now calling the shots at Inter Miami, has told the Coaches’ Voice: “I have been asked the same question about him many times. ‘What is it like to coach Messi?’ I did it before at Barcelona, and with the Argentina national team – and I always have the same answer. He is an outstanding player on the pitch. The best. But a normal person off it. That certainly makes it easier for coaches to work with him. Like I did in Atlanta, I want to build Inter Miami into a team that can be champions. I want to be part of the history of this club. I’m sure Leo will help us do that.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Martino, whose last role came with the Mexico national team, previously guided Atlanta United to MLS Cup glory in 2018. He is now hoping to replicate that success having returned to the United States to take charge of an Inter Miami side that had been looking a little out of sorts prior to his arrival.
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IN THREE PHOTOS:
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WHAT NEXT? Messi has made an immediate impact in Miami, with the 2022 World Cup winner netting three goals through two appearances while helping to raise the profile of the game in America and attracting A-list guests to DRV PNK Stadium.
