Who is Inter Miami's long-term choice to lead the Herons if it's not Hoyos? | OneFootball

Messi favorite Hoyos doesn't fit the Herons' coaching model

If Guillermo Hoyos wants to be Inter Miami's coach beyond 2026 and perhaps the 2027 "sprint" season, he's got some work to do. The Herons have lost three straight matches after winning nine of their first 12 with him in charge.

The 63-year-old Argentine journeyman is an unlikely candidate for the job; his managerial career, like his playing career, can most kindly be called "undistinguished." Hoyos played for 13 teams over 19 years, including 42 appearances with Boca Juniors in the late '80s. Since 2003, he's had 17 coaching positions, not including Inter Miami. So, why is Hoyos leading the Herons?

Two words: Lionel Messi. Inter Miami's captain famously left Argentina in 2000 to train at Barcelona's La Masia Academy in Spain. Hoyos was at La Masia between 2003 and 2005 and worked closely with his young countryman. The two became close enough that Messi called Hoyos his "soccer father" during a 2005 news conference.

Hoyos joined Inter Miami in 2023, shortly after Messi arrived in South Florida. He first served as the director of methodology at Inter Miami Academy and also served as director of player development and as an assistant scout and coach under former coach Javier Mascherano. He took over as interim coach after Mascherano resigned in April.