Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano admitted he now feels uncomfortable talking about . The former and star, who has shared countless battles with Messi for Argentina and at club level, finds himself in the unique position of coaching one of football's greatest ever talents.

He became the second Argentine to take charge of Messi in Florida, after Beckham hired the former midfielder to replace Gerardo Martino in November 2024. Instead of feeding passes into Messi's feet, Mascherano is now the one directing the great and telling him where to move. It's not often a manager finds himself coaching one of his best friends on and off the field. Referencing their time together, Mascherano admitted he feels strange talking about Messi in interviews.

In an interview with , Mascherano said: "Sometimes I feel uncomfortable talking about him because I have been his team-mate for 20 years. Now it's my turn to help him in this stage as a coach.

"He is a guy who has already done everything in football. He is the greatest in history and still sets an example of how to compete, continues to lead the way and guides new generations. Despite having won everything, until his last day on a pitch, he will want to win and do everything to achieve that."

Mascherano and Messi were former Barcelona team-mates who enjoyed a trophy-laden era together, clinching five La Liga titles, two Champions League trophies, five Copa Del Rey victories, and two Club World Cups. Mascherano is also in charge of his former team-mates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez, who he also played with at Barcelona.

Apart from Suarez, all of the above were involved in Miami's recent 3-3 draw with San Jose. Despite playing the full match, Messi didn't contribute to the score-ine, which saw all six goals scored before half-time.

Miami trail Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia by seven points, but do have two games in hand. Post-match, Mascherano was vocal about his team's need to be more streetwise, saying: "We're making a lot of mistakes that end up in goals.

"We need to take away the positives. We fought until the end trying to win the match, and that's the right spirit. But we have to improve a lot."

He added: "We started the match in the best way, but unfortunately, once again, the mistakes cost us too much.

"Today the team, despite the mistakes, fought until the end. These are individual mistakes, but also about knowing how to manage each moment of the game."