Gerardo "Tata" Martino, who guided Inter Miami to the best regular season record in Major League Soccer history this season, is resigning as coach of the club, a person with knowledge of the decision said Tuesday.
Martino - who was hired in July 2023, right around the time that Lionel Messi debuted for the club - made the decision for personal reasons, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it was not revealed publicly.
There are tentative plans for a Friday news conference with Martino and team officials. Inter Miami was eliminated in the first round of this year's MLS Cup playoffs, and won't gather for training camp to start the 2025 season until January.
The 61-year-old Martino - who coached Messi with Barcelona and Argentina's national team before reuniting with him in South Florida - gave no outward indication that he was thinking about leaving when the season ended earlier this month.
Inter Miami was 26-9-12 in MLS regular season matches in the Martino era, plus won its first two trophies the Leagues Cup in 2023 and the Supporters Shield as the best MLS regular season team this year.
