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 21 July. 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. “We are very happy to be able to welcome Tata to Inter Miami,” the club’s managing owner Jorge Mas said. “We feel he is a coach who matches our ambitions as a club and we’re optimistic about what we can accomplish together. Tata has coached at the highest levels and we believe that experience will be hugely beneficial to us as we aim to compete for titles here.” Martino replaces Phil Neville, who was fired four weeks ago. Inter Miami are 5-13-0 in MLS play this season, the worst record of the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference. “Tata is a highly respected figure in our sport whose track record speaks for itself,” Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said. “We are confident that his achievements in the game and experience as a head coach will inspire our team and excite our fans and look forward to seeing the impact he will have on and off the field.”