Gerardo Martino facts for kids
Martino with Inter Miami in 2024
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| Full name | Gerardo Daniel Martino | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 20 November 1962 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1972–1980 | Newell's Old Boys | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1990 | Newell's Old Boys | 392 | (35) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Tenerife | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1994 | Newell's Old Boys | 81 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Lanús | 30 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Newell's Old Boys | 15 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | O'Higgins | 11 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Barcelona SC | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 551 | (42) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981 | Argentina U20 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Argentina | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Brown de Arrecifes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Platense | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Instituto | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Libertad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Cerro Porteño | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Colón | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Libertad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Paraguay | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Newell's Old Boys | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Barcelona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Atlanta United | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Inter Miami | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gerardo Daniel "Tata" Martino, born on November 20, 1962, is a famous Argentine football coach and former player. He recently coached the Major League Soccer (MLS) team Inter Miami.
Martino spent most of his playing career with Newell's Old Boys in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina. He played an amazing 505 matches for the team, which is a club record! Fans even voted him the best player in Newell's history.
In 2013, Martino became the head coach of the famous Spanish club Barcelona. He left in May 2014, even though his team finished second in two major competitions that season. Later, in 2015 and 2016, he led the Argentina national team to the finals of the Copa América twice, but they lost both times on penalties to Chile. He resigned from the Argentina team in July 2016.
Martino then became the first coach for the new MLS team Atlanta United in 2017. He led them to win the MLS Cup in their second season and was named the MLS Coach of the Year. After this success, he moved on to coach the Mexico national team. He coached Mexico for three years, leaving after they were knocked out in the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In 2023, Martino returned to MLS to coach Inter Miami. There, he reunited with former Barcelona players like Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets. He left Inter Miami in November 2024.
Contents
Playing Football: Martino's Career as a Player
On February 15, 1981, Martino played his first game for the Argentina national youth team. It was a friendly match against Chile, which Argentina won 3-0.
Ten years later, on February 19, 1991, he was called up to play for the senior national team. This was for a friendly game against Hungary national football team. Martino came into the game in the second half, and Argentina won 2-0 at home.
Coaching Football: Martino's Managerial Journey
Leading the Paraguay National Team
Martino became the head coach of the Paraguay national team in February 2007. He was chosen because of his great knowledge and success coaching clubs in Paraguay. Before this, Martino had won the Paraguayan league four times between 2002 and 2006.
In 2010, Martino announced he would step down as Paraguay coach after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He had led Paraguay to the quarter-finals, which was a big achievement. However, he later agreed to stay on until after the 2011 Copa América. In that tournament, Paraguay finished as runners-up, losing to Uruguay in the final.
Coaching Newell's Old Boys
After leaving Paraguay, Martino decided to coach Newell's Old Boys, one of his former clubs as a player. At the time, Newell's was in danger of being moved down to a lower league in Argentina.
However, Martino's coaching led to many impressive results. He helped Newell's stay in the top league, and his reputation as a coach grew a lot.
In his second season, Martino led Newell's to win the 2013 Torneo Final, which is a major Argentine league title. He also guided them to the semi-finals of the 2013 Copa Libertadores, a very important club competition in South America. Martino had completely changed the team from one facing relegation to a title-winning side. His amazing work at Newell's caught the attention of big clubs in Europe, including Barcelona.
Managing FC Barcelona
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On July 7, 2013, Martino was confirmed as the new head coach of the Spanish club Barcelona. He took over after their previous coach, Tito Vilanova, resigned due to health issues. Martino signed a two-year contract with Barcelona.
His first official game as Barcelona's coach was on August 18, 2013, against Levante. Barcelona won that game by a huge score of 7-0. On October 26, 2013, Martino led Barcelona to a 2-1 victory against their big rivals, Real Madrid, in his first Clásico match as coach.
Three days later, Barcelona won 3-0 against Celta Vigo. This made Martino the first Barcelona coach in history to not lose a game in his first 16 matches. However, his unbeaten start ended on November 20, 2013, when Barcelona lost 2-1 to Ajax in the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League.
At the end of the season, Barcelona lost the 2013–14 La Liga title on the very last day to Atlético Madrid. Martino announced he would leave his role after just one year. During his time at Barcelona, he won one major trophy, the Spanish Super Cup.
Coaching the Argentina National Team
On August 12, 2014, Martino was introduced as the new head coach for the Argentina national team. He took over from Alejandro Sabella, who had led the team to the World Cup final.
In the 2015 Copa América, Martino led Argentina to the final. However, they finished as runners-up after losing to the host team, Chile, in a penalty shootout. They also reached the final of the Copa América Centenario on June 26, 2016, again losing to Chile on penalties. On July 5, 2016, Martino resigned from his position.
Leading Atlanta United
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After leaving the Argentina team, Martino was announced as the first head coach for the new Major League Soccer team, Atlanta United, on September 27, 2016. On October 23, 2018, Martino announced that he would not continue his contract with Atlanta United after the 2018 MLS season. He mentioned personal reasons for his decision.
In his last match with the club, Atlanta United defeated the Portland Timbers in the MLS Cup, winning their first league title.
Coaching the Mexico National Team
On January 7, 2019, Martino was announced as the head coach of the Mexico national team. This marked his return to international coaching. On March 22, Martino won his first match with Mexico, a 3-1 friendly victory over Chile. Later that year, Martino led Mexico to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup by defeating their rivals, the United States, 1-0 in the final. This was his first national title as a coach.
However, in 2021, Mexico's performance declined. They lost both the first CONCACAF Nations League final and the CONCACAF Gold Cup to the United States. This was made worse by a 2-0 loss to the United States in a World Cup qualifying match in November. This was the first time since 1934 that one team had beaten the other three times in a single year in their rivalry.
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Mexico had a disappointing performance. They finished third in their group, behind Poland, due to goal difference. This was their first time being knocked out in the group stage since 1978. After their last group match against Saudi Arabia, Martino completed his contract as Mexico's head coach.
Returning to Inter Miami
On June 28, 2023, Martino was announced as the head coach of Inter Miami. This marked his return to the MLS. Soon after, Martino's team won the Leagues Cup, which was Inter Miami's first trophy. This victory was greatly helped by the arrival of star player Lionel Messi.
On November 22, 2024, Martino announced that he was stepping down from his role with Inter Miami due to personal reasons.
Managerial Style: How Martino's Teams Play
Gerardo Martino likes his teams to play with a very high press and an attacking style of football. When he was at Barcelona, Martino continued the club's famous "tiki-taka" style of play, but he also added his own tactics.
All of Martino's teams share similar qualities:
- They play attack-minded football.
- They are creative in how they play.
- Their style is based on quick passing.
- Martino's teams also pressure opponents high up the pitch.
- They like to build play from the back (starting attacks from their own defense).
- They often depend on their youth systems to develop new players.
Honours and Achievements
As a Player
Newell's Old Boys
- Argentine Primera División: 1987–88, 1990–91, 1992 Clausura
As a Manager
Libertad
- Paraguayan Primera División: 2002, 2003, 2006
Cerro Porteño
- Paraguayan Primera División: 2004
Newell's Old Boys
- Argentine Primera División: 2013 Final
Barcelona
- Supercopa de España: 2013
Atlanta United
- MLS Cup: 2018
Inter Miami
- Leagues Cup: 2023
- Supporters' Shield: 2024
Paraguay
- Copa América runner-up: 2011
Argentina
- Copa América runner-up: 2015, 2016
Mexico
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2019
Individual Awards
- South American Coach of the Year: 2007
- MLS Coach of the Year: 2018
Personal Life
Gerardo Martino has Italian family roots. His grandparents came from a town called Ripacandida in Italy.
See also
In Spanish: Gerardo Martino para niños
