A heated argument between Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano preceded the latter’s shock resignation from Inter Miami, it has been revealed.
On Tuesday, the Herons announced that Mascherano had departed the club after just over a year in charge. The Argentine was appointed after the 2024 playoffs and won MLS Cup with Inter Miami in 2025.
However, after his side failed to win their first two games at their newly-opened state-of-the-art stadium, Mascherano resigned for “personal reasons.” Miami had only won three of their seven games in MLS and embarrassingly exited CONCACAF Champions Cup in the round of 16.
While the announcement came out of nowhere, it wasn’t a surprise to see another manager depart the Florida club. This is the Herons’ seventh season in MLS, and Mascherano was their fourth permanent head coach.
The start to the season had been well below expectations. The Champions Cup exit was particularly damaging, given that owner Jorge Mas claimed beforehand that Miami should be allowed to compete in the Copa Libertadores.
Messi and Mascherano frequently argued
Still, the fact that Mascherano resigned for “personal reasons” hinted that something was afoot. Speculation soon began that Lionel Messi must have had something to do with his former teammate’s departure.
When Mascherano arrived in Miami, he was seen as a Messi hire. He played with him at Barcelona and for Argentina and was given the job despite having no senior coaching experience.
That relationship, though, seemingly soured over the course of Mascherano’s tenure. According to The Athletic, the two regularly quarrelled after poor results.
This is nothing out of the ordinary for two hypercompetitive personalities and was initially seen as a sign of their strong and close relationship. Mascherano was not afraid to “challenge” Messi and “push back,” the report states.
However, it seems that a line may have been crossed after the draw with the Red Bulls. The two clashed after the match, though the details of the argument “remain clouded.”
Still, the fact that Mascherano resigned shortly thereafter suggests that things may have escalated. Tension behind the scenes had been growing, with the Champions Cup exit still a strong source of frustration for the players, even weeks later.
One gets the impression from the report that Messi’s conduct is becoming a problem. His behaviour has noticeably “escalated” since his arrival at Inter Miami, even in public. He is often seen arguing with referees and antagonising opposition staff.
There is little to suggest that things look different behind the scenes. In fact, one source quoted in the article seems to imply that Messi’s behaviour, compared to former players like Gonzalo Higuain, is “disrespectful.”
It was no surprise to people around the club that Mascherano was replaced by Guillermo Hoyos, the club’s sporting director. Hoyos “never says no to Messi.” In fact, when he joined Miami in 2025, it was seen as a move purely driven by the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Hoyos nurtured the wonderkid in Barcelona’s academy, which later prompted Messi to describe him as his “footballing father.” That comment was made 16 years ago. Now, Hoyos is Messi’s coach.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Miami are not looking for an external replacement for Mascherano. They want to give Hoyos a fair chance to prove himself “over the coming months.”
This further lends credence to the suggestion that Hoyos is a Messi appointment. Of course, the Argentine has a vested interest in Miami being as successful as possible, given that he will become a part-owner of the club after his retirement.
This, naturally, gives him more power and influence, although it’s not like he needs it. Messi and his father, Jorge, have long been accused of running the show at Inter Miami.
Giving a player, even the greatest player of all time, any kind of sway over club matters will obviously breed instability. In that sense, it is entirely unsurprising that even someone like Mascherano, who was viewed as one of Messi’s closest allies, had to bite the bullet when things turned sour.
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