Tata Martino ‘quits Inter Miami’ after failing to win MLS Cup with Lionel Messi

Tata Martino has reportedly left Inter Miami after failing to win the MLS Cup in Lionel Messi’s first full season at the team.

According to GiveMeSport, the decision is Martino’s and he has cited personal reasons for his departure.

It means that David Beckham must now find a new coach to rebuild the team for next season, where Messi and his men will also compete in the Club World Cup.

Miami crashed out of the MLS Cup earlier in November to Atlanta United, despite being heavy favorites to lift the trophy. 

As well as having Messi at his disposal, Martino’s roster had also been bolstered by Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets arriving around the Argentina World Cup winner.

Miami won the Eastern Conference this season with 74 points from 34 games, a league record.

Messi and Miami were knocked out of the MLS Cup by Atlanta United earlier in November 

David Beckham will now have to find a new coach ahead of a significant 2025 campaign

Martino replaced Phil Neville as Miami coach in June 2023, shortly before Messi’s hugely anticipated arrival in Major League Soccer, with the team last in the Eastern Conference.

Later that season, Martino led Miami to Leagues Cup glory, the first trophy the team has won since it was founded in 2018. They beat Nashville on penalties in Tennessee.

They narrowly failed to make the playoffs that year, despite Messi’s mid-season arrival sparking a dramatic upturn in form. 

Messi has one more season guaranteed on his Miami contract, worth around $150million in total, but there is an option for a further year. 

Miami, with the star power of Messi and Beckham, will no doubt chase some of the biggest names in the game ahead of another huge season ahead.

As well as their inevitable ambition to right the wrongs of the 2024 campaign, their place in the Club World Cup has come under scrutiny due to FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s unclear criteria for awarding the team a place in the tournament.

They appear to have been given a place in the expanded 32-team tournament for winning the Supporters’ Shield – the trophy for the team with the best regular season record – even though they didn’t end the season with the main trophy up for grabs.

Miami will host the opening game of the tournament, which begins June 15.