Gerardo Martino · Biography

Gerardo Daniel Martino made his first-division debut on 15 June 1980, aged 17, playing for Newell's Old Boys against Platense. Born in Rosario on 20 November 1962 and known as “Tata”, he spent more than a decade as a midfielder at the Rosario club before moving into coaching. As a manager he led FC Barcelona and the national teams of Paraguay, Argentina and Mexico, and won trophies in Paraguay, Argentina, Spain and MLS.

Youth and career at Newell's

Martino came through the Newell's youth system. He made his debut for Argentina's youth team on 15 February 1981 against Chile (3-0) and played at the Under-20 World Cup in Australia later that year. In the Newell's first team he was a passing, organising midfielder, and he went on to make 505 official appearances and score 35 goals, the club record for appearances. With Newell's he won three Argentine league titles: 1987-88, 1990-91 and the 1992 Clausura. His only senior cap for Argentina came on 19 February 1991, a 2-0 friendly win over Hungary in Rosario that was Alfio Basile's first match in charge.

Tenerife, Lanús and the end of his playing days

In early 1991 he had his first spell abroad, at CD Tenerife in the Spanish top flight, where he played 15 matches and scored once, against Sevilla. He returned to Newell's that same year. He played for Lanús between 1994 and 1995, went back briefly to Rosario in 1995 and, in 1996, finished his career with short spells at O'Higgins in Chile and Barcelona of Guayaquil in Ecuador.

Early coaching years

He began coaching in 1998 at Almirante Brown de Arrecifes and took over Platense later that year; the club was relegated in June 1999. After managing Instituto in 2000, he moved to Paraguay. With Libertad he won the Apertura and Clausura in 2002 and the Apertura in 2003; with Cerro Porteño, the Apertura and Clausura in 2004. In 2005 he had a 21-match spell at Colón before returning to Libertad, with whom he won both the Apertura and the Clausura in 2006.

Paraguay national team

In February 2007 he took charge of Paraguay. He qualified the team for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where they reached the quarter-finals and lost 1-0 to Spain, the eventual champions. He announced his departure after the tournament but agreed to stay on until the 2011 Copa América in Argentina. Paraguay reached the final and lost 3-0 to Uruguay; it was his last match in charge, in July 2011.

Newell's and FC Barcelona

In January 2012 he returned to Newell's as coach. He won the 2013 Torneo Final, finished runner-up in the 2012-13 Campeonato and reached the semi-finals of the 2013 Copa Libertadores. In July 2013 he was appointed by FC Barcelona. He won the 2013 Spanish Super Cup, but the 2013-14 season brought no further silverware: Barcelona lost the Copa del Rey final 2-1 to Real Madrid at Mestalla, went out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals against Atlético Madrid and lost the league on matchday 38 after a 1-1 draw with Atlético at Camp Nou. On 17 May 2014 he announced he was leaving the club.

Argentina, Atlanta United and Mexico

On 12 August 2014 he was named Argentina head coach. He took the team to two consecutive Copa América finals, in 2015 and in the 2016 Centenario edition, and lost both to Chile on penalties. He resigned on 5 July 2016. On 27 September that year he was unveiled as the first head coach of Atlanta United, who began play in MLS in 2017. In December 2018 he won the MLS Cup against the Portland Timbers in his final match with the club, and was named the league's Coach of the Year. On 7 January 2019 he took over Mexico: he won the 2019 Gold Cup with a 1-0 victory over the United States in the final, and lost to the same opponent in the CONCACAF Nations League final and the Gold Cup final, both in 2021. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mexico finished third in their group, behind Poland on goal difference, and Martino left the post on 30 November 2022.

Inter Miami and return to Atlanta

In June 2023 he was appointed head coach of Inter Miami, where he was reunited with Lionel Messi. He won the 2023 Leagues Cup and, that same year, lost the U.S. Open Cup final to Houston Dynamo. In 2024 he won the Supporters' Shield with an MLS points record. He left the club on 22 November 2024, citing personal reasons, after a first-round playoff exit against Atlanta United. On 6 November 2025, almost seven years after his first spell ended, Atlanta United announced his return as head coach.