Longtime Lionel Messi friend Guillermo Hoyos confirmed as interim coach of Inter Miami

[p]Hoyos, previously [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter-miami/0AheRyBg/"]Miami[/a]'s sporting director, replaces [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mascherano-javier/ns2Bmt54/"]Javier Mascherano[/a], who departed the club for "personal reasons" Tuesday just four months after guiding the club to its first MLS Cup title.[/p][p]The 62-year-old Hoyos was a key former mentor of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/messi-lionel/vgOOdZbd/"]Messi[/a] with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/barcelona/SKbpVP5K/"]Barcelona[/a]'s youth team more than two decades ago, and the Argentine pair have remained close ever since.[/p][p]"[b]Friendship is non-negotiable. We share a friendship that spans many years,[/b]" said Hoyos, speaking in Spanish, at his first press conference.[/p][p]"[b]However, that friendship does not mean that we will be constantly hovering over him or in his face every single day.[/b]"[/p][embed guid="1d7e5b79-97de-4adf-b82a-169510ebdcc9" url="https://x.com/InterMiamiCF/status/2044169483003052064?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]A club statement initially said Hoyos will take charge of the team for the "upcoming matches," but the team has since referred to him as head coach in social media posts.[/p][p]Club sources told AFP that Hoyos is expected to remain at the helm only until the middle of the year, with a new coaching setup in place by the start of the Leagues Cup in August.[/p][p]After seven rounds this season, Inter Miami sit third in the MLS Eastern Conference.[/p][p]Messi, a 2022 World Cup winner and eight-time Ballon d'Or laureate, is the jewel in the crown of Miami's squad.[/p]