Guillermo Hoyos stated that he won’t let his long friendship with Lionel Messi stop him from working the Argentine superstar hard in training, as he was unveiled as the new coach of MLS side Inter Miami on Wednesday.
Hoyos, previously Miami’s sporting director, replaces Javier Mascherano, who departed the club for “personal reasons” on Tuesday, just four months after guiding the club to its first MLS Cup title.
The 62-year-old Hoyos was an important previous instructor of Messi with Barcelona’s youth team more than two decades ago, and the Argentine pair have remained close ever since. “Friendship is non-negotiable. We share a friendship that spans many years,” said Hoyos, speaking in Spanish, at his first press conference.
“However, that friendship does not mean that we will be constantly hovering over him or in his face every single day.”
Hoyos will be in control of the team for the “upcoming matches,” according to a club statement, but the team has already referred to him as head coach in social media posts. Club sources told AFP that Hoyos is expected to remain at the helm only until the middle of the year, with a new coaching setup in place by the start of the Leagues Cup in August.
After seven rounds this season, Inter Miami sit third in the MLS Eastern Conference.
The star of Miami’s team is Messi, who won the World Cup in 2022 and has won eight Ballon d’Or awards.