Mascherano, the silent winner of Inter Miami, who along with Messi wants to continue causing trouble at the Club World Cup.

Inter Miami has already won this Club World Cup because it achieved its goal of qualifying for the round of 16, where it will play against Paris Saint-Germain , the European Champions League winner and overwhelming favorite . It's hard to say and accept with our mentality, where second-place play doesn't exist; it must even happen to Javier Mascherano , Lionel Messi , and the entire Argentine gang that opened an AFA branch in MLS. But it's already won, and it owes a lot to its coach .

The pink team founded in 2020 got into this 32-club party thanks to a FIFA invitation, controversial but justified in marketing and sporting terms, as the winner of the regular phase of the United States League, which opened the spot as "host." It was at the end of 2024, with Gerardo Martino on the bench, and a surprising defeat in the first round of the MLS playoffs led to Tata's resignation and forced the search for a replacement: Mascherano appeared.

El Jefecito stepped down as coach of the Argentine national team 's youth teams after a pair of tough eliminations and threats of resignation. One was at the U-20 World Cup held in the country, and the other at the 2024 Paris Olympics , where he had a formidable team, with stars such as Julián Álvarez.

Masche arrived in the USA with Leo's nod of approval, of course. Their shared years in blue and white, "eating shit," united them forever, as did their happy times in Barcelona, ​​with other old friends who now work together in the pink franchise: Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suárez . The chemistry was instant.

At 41 years old and in his first experience leading a club, the San Lorenzo native, born in Santa Fe, understood that in these parts, a coach is also a manager who must behave properly off the pitch. He recovered the English he learned while wearing the Liverpool shirt and took care to maintain his manners, despite occasionally lashing out at the (poor) standard of CONCACAF referees.

He faced the FIFA tournament with a squad battered by injuries, which had him struggling in the local league, and which gave him a reserved prognosis for his team's performance in a group that included Palmeiras and Porto , as well as a historic African side like Al Ahly .

Inter were also compromised by MLS rules, which limit signings. That's why their starting 11 is stacked with stars and youngsters with very little experience. The poor performances of the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles FC , each of whom earned one point from six matches, are a good example. The manager's hand was clearly visible in Miami.

At halftime in the first match, he brought on Marcelo Weingandt and leveled the score against the Egyptians; in the second, he played his defense and didn't struggle against the Portuguese, and in the third, he stood up to Abel Ferreira's Brazilians.

Now he's facing PSG under his former manager Luis Enrique, who less than a month ago won the Champions League with a historic rout in the final against the other Inter, Milan. It seems impossible if it weren't for the pink number 10 .

Whatever happens, Mascherano and his Inter have already won because the manager fulfilled the objective entrusted to him. MLS is celebrating this in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup. Whatever comes next will be a gift.