The former inter Miami coach Tata Martino revealed the details of his call with the captain of the Lionel Messi club when the Argentinian decided to move away from the MLS Club. He revealed that the Argentina superstar was the first person he had spoken of the decision, then communicated the same to the club’s board of directors and the players.
Addressing athletics, Martino explained that he was taking a break and that he had to be in Rosario, Argentina, for the first half of 2025. Messi was perplexed by the decision, but relieved to discover that it was not a health problem.
Martino said:
“I called Leo and I told him that I had a personal need to be in Rosario, that the first semester was going to be complicated for me. Once I explained that it was not a health problem, it was only a very difficult personal question behind my decision, he felt more comfortable – with the necessary discretion.
Lionel Messi won the league and the MLS supporters shield under Tata Martino in Inter Miami. He played 85 club games with Argentinian as a coach, scoring 75 goals and helping 33 times in all competitions for the MLS team and Barcelona.
The Argentine superstar also played 21 matches for the national team under the charge of Martino, scoring 13 goals.
Tata Martino’s former comments on his relationship with Lionel Messi Resurface
Tata Martino spoke of his relationship with Lionel Messi at his last Inter Miami press conference in 2024, admitting that they liked working the most together at the MLS Club. He believed that the experience was better than what they shared in Barcelona and in the Argentine national team and said (via World Soccer Talk):
“The truth is that I believe that on the three opportunities we had to work together, it was probably the year and a half when we were closest, with much more frequent and direct contact.
“We found ourselves at a good time for the two of us and maintained a very narrow contact throughout this year and a half. In this sense, I think it was the best period of the three stages that we shared: Barcelona, the Argentine national team, and now Inter Miami.”
Inter Miami appointed Javier Mascherano, the former teammate of Lionel Messi, replacing Martino.
Published by SRIPAD
