Inter Miami’s early exit from the MLS playoffs was bad enough, but Tata Martino’s exit due to personal reasons may have made things worse for David Beckham’s Florida-based club. With a sea of candidates for the new managerial role, expert analyst Nico Cantor believes that Lionel Messi’s former teammate, Xavi Hernández, is a frontrunner for the role. 

Speaking on ‘The Golazo Show’, Cantor highlights that having a manager who shares a personal bond with the ‘fantastic four’ of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba would provide a major boost. Eagle-eyed fans will notice that Xavi has played alongside all four of them, and together they have won several major titles. 

“It needs to be somebody that can command the dressing room, command the respect of a lot of these players, from a credibility standpoint, period, right, the fantastic four and all the other guys need to believe in what the manager is saying,” said Cantor, while also highlighting the importance of having a Spanish speaking manager. 

“I don’t think an American can walk into that dressing room and not speak Spanish and have everybody on board” added Cantor. Xavi who recently took on the managerial role at Camp Nou was dismissed by FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, earlier this season. On paper, all signs point to Xavi being the perfect fit for the Inter Miami job. 

During his tenure, Tata Martino led the club to a 74-point finish and also won the Supporters’ Shield in the regular season. The Argentine coach, who previously led Atlanta United to MLS Cup glory in 2018, saw his former side knock out Inter Miami in the first round. It could be the right moment for another ex-Barcelona manager to take over. 

Does Lionel Messi have a say in Inter Miami’s managerial search?

Given that former Barcelona players are among the standout performers on the pitch, it’s reasonable to assume that the new manager will likely be someone whom the players have worked with before. With Pep Guardiola agreeing to terms on a new one-year contract extension, the Manchester City boss is unlikely to make it across the pond. 

Another strong contender is Thierry Henry. The former Arsenal legend brings MLS managerial experience from his time at CF Montreal and has also played alongside Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets at Camp Nou. But with Lionel Messi’s contract running through the 2025 season, perhaps this will be his last year at Inter Miami. 

If Lionel Messi were to leave, others are likely to follow suit. Remember when Sergio Agüero made the move to Barcelona to link up with Lionel Messi? sadly things didn’t go as planned for either of them. Hopefully, this won’t be another instance of a star player leaving the MLS side, and the team experiencing a decline (yes, we are talking about David Beckham and LA Galaxy). Who do you think should be the next Inter Miami manager? Comment down below.