Lionel Messi will have a new coach at his club from next season onwards; as Inter Miami boss Gerardo 'Tata' Martino has left his position as the head coach on 20 November 2024. Martino has resigned due to some personal reasons. 

Martino leaves after winning the MLS Supporters' Shield with a record 74 points tally and crashing out of the MLS Cup play-offs in November 2024. the 62-year-old Argentinian coach also won the Leagues Cup with Miami last year.

🚨 Tata Martino’s Record as Inter Miami Coach:

🏟️ Games: 67
✅ Wins: 38
❌ Losses: 16
🤝 Draws: 13
📊 Points per game: 1.90

🏆 Leagues Cup Champion
🛡️ Supporter’s Shield Winner
📈 MLS All-Time Points Record pic.twitter.com/e2RLBXwUuC

— Inter Miami News Hub (@Intermiamicfhub) November 19, 2024

However, the Major League Soccer outfit will be looking for a new coach as Martino's heir at Miami. Inter Miami has entered the expanded FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and the star-studded group will need a high-profile coach to get them to the furthest in the competition. 

Read Also | Teams qualified for FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Messi's Inter Miami enters the tournament

Some great profiles have already emerged as potential candidates to be the next coach of Inter Miami. Sportzpoint explores the options that can be suitable for The Herons. 

Xavi

According to the Miami Herald, former Spain and Barcelona midfielder Xavi has emerged as an option to be the head coach of Inter Miami.

Xavi Hernandez has emerged as the top candidate to replace Tata Martino as Inter Miami’s head coach, according to reports! 🔥🦩

𝑨 𝑹𝑬𝑼𝑵𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝑴𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑰 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑪𝑶.? ✨#LionelMessi #Xavi #InterMiami pic.twitter.com/l9WGOoLImw

— Sportskeeda Football (@skworldfootball) November 20, 2024

The former teammate of Lionel Messi at FC Barcelona can be reunited in Miami as his name has started to surface as one of the top candidates to take up the Miami job. Xavi's former teammates such as Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba are all part of the Miami squad, and that is why Xavi has emerged as the most reasonable option for The Herons. 

Xavi has not taken any other managerial job since he left his position as head coach at FC Barcelona in June 2024. He has won the LaLiga title and Supercopa de Espana in the 2022-23 season with Barca and also won seven trophies during his first tenure as a head coach for Qatar's Al-Sadd club.

Javier Mascherano

According to the Miami Herald, former Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano has emerged as another top choice for the MLS outfit.

🚨 Xavi and Javier Mascherano have emerged as options for head coach at Inter Miami! 👔🇺🇸

Both are former teammates of Leo Messi. 👀

(Source: @MiamiHerald) pic.twitter.com/7ofnJsZ0K9

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) November 20, 2024

Javier Mascherano has emerged as another top choice to sit at the Inter Miami dugout. The former Argentine midfielder who also played with Messi, Busquets, Alba, and Suarez at FC Barcelona was also a close teammate of Lionel Messi in the Argentina national team during his time.

However, Mascherano is currently the manager of the Argentina U-20 and U-23 team. It can be a risky choice considering he has no managerial experience in club football so far and AFA may not permit his departure leaving the national age-group teams. Mascherano's name has emerged but it is highly unlikely considering the scenario and all the possibilities. 

Zinedine Zidane 

Zinedine Zidane has close ties with his former Real Madrid teammate David Beckham, who is the co-owner of Inter Miami as well. Daily Mirror reported back in 2018 that Beckham had held preliminary talks with the French legend to manage the newly established Inter Miami, 

We have seen Messi, Beckham, and Zidane spending time together, so the 3-time UCL winning coach can be a very realistic option to be Miami's next coach. It was also reported in 2021 that Zidane's son, Enzo Zidane was on trial with Inter Miami. 

💥Cette photo légendaire de : Messi. Beckham. Zidane. 🇦🇷 🇬🇧 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/gMk82G4RkU

— INTER MIAMI FR (@IntermiamiFR_) February 24, 2024

Zidane has been a free agent since he decided to leave Real Madrid in 2021 after his second stint at the Spanish club. He has previously been linked with the France national football team's head coach job but no progress was made there. 

However, Zidane has managed the 3-times Champions League-winning Real Madrid squad filled with great figures and talents; which proves his immense man-management quality. It will be interesting to see if Zidane comes together with Messi and Beckham again, and this time to produce something great at Miami. 

Jim Curtin 

Jim Curtin may seem like an odd name in the list of some familiar stars of the game but the 45-year-old manager has proved himself as one of the best coaches in MLS' history. 

It was a heavily unexpected move by MLS side Philadelphia Union to part ways with Jim Curtin who was their head coach for 10 long years as he left his position on 7 November 2024. Curtin stayed on the Philadelphia Union's touchline for 11 seasons and won them the MLS Supporters' Shield in the 2019-20 season. 

Ya know who's cool?
This guy.

Just droppin' some Jim Curtin Appreciation on your timeline 🐍 #DOOP pic.twitter.com/1BJS44J1W5

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) July 31, 2020

Union has been one of the lowest-spending teams in the MLS but Curtin still managed to have a 42% winning rate after 420 games in charge over 10 years. He was potentially named as the USMNT assistant coach previously in 2023 but now he can be a very realistic option for the Miami job. 

In his first full season in the MLS, Argentine forward Lionel Messi claimed the prestigious MVP award, which is given to the best-performing player in the League for that season.

Despite missing 15 matches due to injuries and international commitments, Messi led MLS in goal contributions with 20 goals and 16 assists in 19 appearances. He became the third player in the league's history to record at least 20 goals and 15 assists in a single season, following Carlos Vela (2019) and Sebastian Giovinco (2015). This achievement also marks the first time an Inter Miami player has won the award.

Read Also| Marc Guehi will receive no formal action by FA over his message on the armband issue

Lionel Messi Secures Prestigious Honor for the First Time in His Career

Our MVP by our @InterMiamiAcad 💫 This is the #FreedomToDream pic.twitter.com/EpGWNVfeKj

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) December 6, 2024

Inter Miami had a dominant MLS regular season, setting a record with 74 points, but was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Atlanta United. Messi joined the team in June 2023 after departing Paris Saint-Germain.

Read Also | FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Draw: Groups, Format, and Schedule

Messi secured 38.4% of the average vote, edging out Hernandez, who received 33.7%. The top five was completed by Portland Timbers midfielder Evander (9.2%), DC United's Christian Benteke (7.1%), and Messi's Inter Miami teammate Luis Suárez (2.2%).

Read Also| Saudi Arabia in talks to participate in the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2025

How the MVP Voting Looked Like?

1. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) --> 38.4%
2. Cucho Hernandez (Columbus Crew) --> 33.7%
3. Evander (Portland Timbers) --> 9.24%
4. Christian Benteke (DC United) --> 7.10%
5. Luis Suarez (Inter Miami) --> 2.17%

Messi, Busquets, and Alba led Inter Miami to victory in the Leagues Cup, a competition featuring MLS teams against Mexico's Liga MX, earning the club its first-ever trophy.

Read Also | AC Milan unveil stunning special 125th anniversary kit

In the 2024 season, Inter Miami excelled during the regular season, claiming the Supporters' Shield as the team with the highest points across both conferences. All these achievements helped propel Messi to win this award.

Set to take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025, the restructured global club football competition will bring together 32 teams from across the world to vie for the title of world champions.

The draw, held on Thursday, December 5, 2024, in Miami, showcased an impressive lineup of continental and domestic champions from every corner of the globe.

Among the standout contenders are Spain's Real Madrid, the UEFA Champions League winners, Brazil's Botafogo, the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores champions, and Egypt's Al Ahly, who are consecutive CAF Champions League winners.

New Format

Traditionally featuring six to eight teams, the FIFA Club World Cup will now adopt a new format, hosting the largest number of participants in its history. Teams earned qualification by winning their respective continental club tournaments, such as the UEFA Champions League, and based on the confederations' four-year rankings.

South America (CONMEBOL) includes six teams, whereas Europe (whose confederation is UEFA) has twelve, making up the largest representation of the 32 teams.

There are four teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), Africa (AFC), and Asia (AFC).

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami was given a spot, as the domestic champions of the host country, Oceania (OFC) got one spot as well. The top two from each of the 8 groups will advance to the knockout stages after a round-robin group stage.

The final will take place at the iconic MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey on 13 July.

Read Also | Substitutions that changed the football history

FIFA Club World Cup Groups

When is the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025, in the United States of America.

How many teams will take part in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025?

A total of 32 teams from 6 continents will take part in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami has qualified for the expanded FIFA Club World Cup 2025 as a host team after securing an all-time Major League Soccer (MLS) record for most points in a regular season and lifting the MLS Supporters' Shield for the first time in the club's history. 

Inter Miami is the 31st team to be qualified for the expanded edition of the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 and one final spot is remaining to be occupied by the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 champions after the final scheduled to be played on 30th November 2024. 

The MLS outfit was announced to be included in the tournament by FIFA President Gianni Infantino following Miami's 6-2 victory over New England Revolution on 20th October 2024. Infantino announced:

“I have three things to tell you! The first, many congratulations for winning the Supporters Shield! Second, you will be qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025! And third, you will be opening and hosting the opening game at the Hard Rock Stadium in front of 65.000 people!" 

FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that Inter Miami have qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup after winning the Supporters’ Shield.

They will also host the opening game at the Hard Rock Stadium 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/CdnPhz1Tp9

— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 20, 2024

The redesigned FIFA Club World Cup for the 2025 edition 

The FIFA Club World Cup will welcome significant expansion for the first time in its history. The tournament will now feature 32 teams, a notable increase from the previous format that hosted only seven teams. The newly structured tournament is scheduled to take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025, and will be held in various stadiums in the United States.

FIFA has distributed 12 spots to European clubs (UEFA), 6 spots to South American teams (CONMEBOL), and 4 spots each to clubs from North America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), Asia (AFC), and Africa (CAF). The last spot is reserved for Oceania (OFC).

The tournament will feature a group stage of eight groups consisting of 4 teams in each group playing a single game in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will earn qualification for the Round of 16 and after the quarter-finals and semi-finals are over, two teams will meet each other in the final set to be played on 13th July 2025. 

The draw for the group division will take place in December 2024. 

Teams qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025

1. Europe (UEFA) | 12 teams 

🚨🚨| OFFICIAL: The UEFA teams that are set to compete in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. pic.twitter.com/c5ihk05iVs

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) September 6, 2024

Chelsea FC (England): 2020/21 UEFA Champions League Winners

Real Madrid (Spain): 2021/22 and 2023/24 UEFA Champions League Winners

Manchester City FC (England): 2022/23 UEFA Champions League Winners

Bayern Munich (Germany): UEFA Ranking 

Paris Saint-Germain (France): UEFA Ranking 

Inter Milan (Italy): UEFA Ranking 

FC Porto (Portugal): UEFA Ranking 

SL Benfica (Portugal): UEFA Ranking 

Borussia Dortmund (Germany): UEFA Ranking 

Juventus FC (Italy): UEFA Ranking 

Atletico Madrid (Spain): UEFA Ranking

FC Salzburg (Austria): UEFA Ranking 

2. North America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) | 4 teams 

The four teams representing @Concacaf at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025...

🇲🇽 @Rayados
🇺🇸 @SoundersFC
🇲🇽 @clubleonfc
🇲🇽 @Tuzos pic.twitter.com/MmGC6C94yJ

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 2, 2024

Lionel Messi has scored many remarkable goals throughout his career, often defying logic and thrilling fans. However, set-piece goals are particularly special due to the unpredictability of dead-ball situations. Despite these challenges, Messi has produced some of the finest goals from these moments holding the record for the 3rd most goals from setpieces netting 66 goals from free kicks. In this piece, we rank his best free-kick goals.

Read Also:10 Footballers Who Retired And Came Back

Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid- February 26, 2012

In a game where the Catalan club could not assert full control they got gifted a free kick and Messi's lofted a stunning effort into the top corner to give Barcelona a 2-1 win. 

PSG vs Lille- February 19, 2023

This goal is likely to be remembered as one of the greatest ever scored at Parc des Princes. With PSG desperately searching for a winner in a tied match and facing the prospect of going four games without a win, Lionel Messi's late free-kick sparked celebrations among the fans.

Read Also:10 players who have won the most trophies in football history

Barcelona vs Liverpool- May 1, 2019

Knockout stage nights in the Champions League always deliver expectations. On this particular night, Lionel Messi delivered one of his finest performances, leading Barcelona to a dominant 3-0 victory and capping it off with a brilliant free-kick goal that left the Camp Nou stunned and earned the goal of the tournament that season.

Read Also: Top 10 players with the Most goals in a single season

 Argentina vs Chile- June 14, 2021

The 2021 Copa America was challenging, with teams growing significantly stronger. It was no surprise that Chile aimed to avoid defeat against Argentina. Messi’s free-kick in the 33rd minute was enough to earn Argentina a draw that day with the game ending at 1-1.

Read Also:Top 10: Most Free-kick Goals In Football History (Updated)

 Inter Miami vs Columbus Crew- October 2, 2024

This goal undoubtedly ranks among the all-time greats, as it helped the Miami-based club secure a trophy and will forever be remembered by the team's supporters.

Lionel Messi has added another feather to his illustrated career as he registered his 20th calendar goal in the year 2024. The goal came from a brilliant and typical Messi-esque free-kick against Columbus Crew in the Major League Soccer on 3rd October 2024. 

From 2007 to 2024, Lionel Messi has now scored at least 20 goals per year for 16 consecutive years. Not only that, he has scored more than 50 goals a calendar year on 9 occasions. In this special article, we present the Lionel Messi stats of his goal tally every year since 2007.

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2007 | 31 Goals

Lionel Messi made his senior debut for FC Barcelona in 2005, but he was recognized as a key player from the 2006-07 Laliga season. In the year 2007, Lionel Messi scored a total of 31 goals in 55 games for club and country in 2007. He also had 12 assists with 1 hat-trick by his name in 2007.

 2008 | 22 Goals

In the year 2008, Messi registered only 22 goals but made 18 assists for both his club and country. He scored 4 braces in 2008 but could not get a hat-trick. 

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	40	20	16
Argentina	8	2	2
Total	48	22	18

2009 | 41 Goals

In 2009, Messi almost doubled his goalscoring tally from 2008 and scored 41 goals in the whole year. He scored 41 goals, scoring 8 braces and 1 hat-trick and also made 15 assists in total. 

In 2009, Messi won his first Ballon d'Or.

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	54	38	14
Argentina	10	3	1
Total	64	41	15

2010 | 60 Goals

Lionel Messi scored 60 goals in just 64 matches in the 2010 calendar year. He unveiled himself as a goalscoring machine in 2010, having scored 13 braces and 6 hat-tricks as well. Messi won consecutive Ballon d'Or for his stunning season with Barcelona.

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	54	58	16
Argentina	10	2	1
Total	64	60	17

2011 | 59 Goals

Messi scored 59 goals in 2011, just one short of his 60 goals in 2010. But he also made 37 assists for both club and country. Messi also scored 6 hat-tricks and 10 braces in 2011.

Messi is still the one and only player to score and assist in 6 different club competitions in a calendar year, and he made that record in 2011. Messi made a hat-trick at the Ballon d'Or award after winning his third glory. 

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	57	55	28
Argentina	13	4	9
Total	70	59	37

2012 | 91 Goals

Messi turned himself into a monster in 2012 as he scored a tremendous total of 91 goals in just 69 matches for his club and country, with 9 hat-tricks and 22 braces by his name.

Messi made several records with this feat as he still holds the Guinness World Record for the most official goals in a calendar year for his 91 goals in 2012. Messi also holds the record for most goals in club competitions in a calendar year as he scored 79 goals for FC Barcelona in 2012. He holds the record league goals scored in a single calendar year in Europe's top 5 leagues as well with 59 goals scored for Barcelona in La Liga in 2012. The Argentine magician won his fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or for his out of the world performance.

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	60	79	21
Argentina	9	12	1
Total	69	91	22

Read Also | Top 10 players with the Most goals in a single season

2013 | 45 Goals

Messi registered a total of 45 goals and 16 assists in 47 matches for both his club and country in 2013. He also scored 4 hat-tricks and 7 braces in that calendar year. 

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	40	39	12
Argentina	7	6	4
Total	47	45	16

2014 | 58 Goals

Messi had a total of 58 goals in 66 matches in the year 2014. He 5 hat-tricks and 11 braces in the whole year providing 21 assists.

Messi won the Laliga with FC Barcelona this year but lost the 2014 World Cup final with Argentina. 

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	52	50	19
Argentina	14	8	2
Total	66	58	21

2015 | 52 Goals

The 2015 calendar year was another memorable year for Messi as he won the domestic treble for FC Barcelona. He scored 52 goals in 61 matches in 2015 with 3 hat-tricks and 11 braces. But he lost the 2015 Copa America Final with Argentina. 

However, Messi became the only player to score in 6 different club competitions in a calendar year twice in 2015 after he achieved the same in 2011. 

He also became the only player to score in 7 different competitions for club and country in a calendar year in 2015.

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	53	48	23
Argentina	8	4	3
Total	61	52	26

2016 | 59 Goals

Messi lost his third consecutive international final in 2016 though he scored 59 goals in 62 appearances for both his club and country. He scored 6 hat-tricks and 9 braces as well. 

After the defeat in the final of the 2016 Copa America, Messi announced his sudden retirement from the Argentina national team but made his comeback in October 2016. 

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	51	51	25
Argentina	11	8	6
Total	62	59	31

2017 | 54 Goals

Messi's immense goal contribution tally dropped in the year 2017 though he scored 54 goals in 64 games with 3 hat-tricks and 12 braces across all competitions.  

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	57	50	16
Argentina	7	4	0
Total	64	54	16

2018 | 51 Goals

Messi scored 51 goals in 54 matches in 2018 with 5 hat-tricks and 9 braces across all his club and international appearances. 

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	49	47	23
Argentina	5	4	3
Total	54	51	26

2019 | 50 Goals

Messi kept up his goalscoring form having scored 50 goals in 58 matches in 2019. He also registered 4 hat-tricks and 8 braces. 

Messi won his sixth Ballon in the year 2019. 

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	48	45	16
Argentina	10	5	2
Total	58	50	18

2020 | 27 Goals

Messi only made 4 appearances for Argentina in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Messi scored 27 goals in 48 appearances in total for both club and country with 1 hat-trick and 3 braces. 

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	44	26	19
Argentina	4	1	0
Total	48	27	19

Read Also | Most Goals in a La Liga season - Lionel Messi leads the list

2021 | 43

Lionel Messi left his beloved FC Barcelona in 2021 after 22 years with the Catalonian club and joined Ligue 1 side PSG. However, he won his first international trophy with Argentina as they won the 2021 Copa America by defeating Brazil in the final. 

Messi scored 43 goals in 2021 in 61 appearances across all club and international competitions. He also scored 1 hat-trick and 12 braces in 2021. 

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona, PSG	45	34	13
Argentina	16	9	5
Total	61	43	18

2022 | 35 Goals

Messi won the greatest trophy in his cabinet in 2022 as he lifted the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina. He also won the 2022 Finalissima with Argentina. 

Messi scored a total of 35 goals in 51 matches in 2022 with 1 hat-trick and 6 braces across all appearances for his club PSG and national team Argentina.

Messi still holds the record for most assist provider in Ligue 1 in a calendar year with 20 league assists in 2022. 

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
PSG	37	17	24
Argentina	14	18	6
Total	51	35	30

2023 | 28 Goals

Lionel Messi moved to Inter Miami in the MLS in July 2023 after two seasons at the Paris-based club. 

Messi scored 28 goals in 44 matches in 2023 with 1 hat-trick and 4 braces. 

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
PSG, Inter Miami	36	20	11
Argentina	8	8	1
Total	44	28	12

2024 | 22 and counting

Messi won the 2024 Copa America with Argentina this year which is his 4th international trophy of his career.

Though he missed a total of 17 games for Inter Miami and Argentina this year, he has scored 20 goals as of now in 26 appearances for club and country excluding friendlies in 2024. 

Teams	Matches	Goals	Assists
Inter Miami	20	19	12
Argentina	7	3	2
Total	27	22	14