Guillermo Hoyos Admits Messi Has a Say in Inter Miami's Decisions

There's something to be said for a coach saying out loud what everyone already suspected. Guillermo Hoyos, Inter Miami's interim coach, admitted Friday something that had until now only been whispered in the club's hallways: Lionel Messi carries weight, real weight, in the decisions made in Fort Lauderdale.

The question came right after the club confirmed the hiring of Cristian "Kily" Gonzalez as its new head coach, the man who will take over the bench currently occupied by Hoyos. The answer left no room for doubt.

I think he has influence just like players of that stature and greatness can have. I imagine it must be that way in other places too.Guillermo Hoyos

No beating around the bush, then. Hoyos didn't deny the obvious: when Messi speaks up, Inter Miami listens. Period.

In the meantime, Hoyos remains in charge, at least for now. Gonzalez still needs the proper work authorization to coach in the United States, so the interim boss will continue handling day-to-day duties until that paperwork clears.

When 'Kily' arrives we'll probably sit down and talk. We're fully available; we're club people.Guillermo Hoyos

Hoyos took over the bench in April, on short notice, after Javier Mascherano's sudden departure for personal reasons. Before that he served as sporting director, not a field coach. He started strong, picking up 19 points out of a possible 24 and earning the front office's trust, which led to his confirmation as permanent coach in early June. But soccer shows no mercy, and a rough patch over the last month changed the picture entirely: elimination from the Leagues Cup and a 10-point gap behind Nashville, the MLS leader.

To cap off a difficult month, Hoyos won't even get to say goodbye to the home crowd this Saturday: MLS handed him a one-game suspension for repeatedly violating the league's scheduling policy.

A Coaching Carousel That's Already Up to Seven Names

Gonzalez will be Inter Miami's third coach so far this year and the fourth since Messi arrived in Florida in the summer of 2023. Before him came Javier Morales (interim in 2023), Gerardo Martino (2023-2024), Mascherano and now Hoyos. Adding in the earlier stints of Uruguay's Diego Alonso and England's Phil Neville, the club's recent history now counts seven coaches.

There's a curious detail in Gonzalez's arrival: he played alongside Messi for the Argentine national team nearly two decades ago, in the last two matches of World Cup 2006 qualifying, a win over Peru in Buenos Aires and a loss to Uruguay in Montevideo.

Inter Miami entered this season as the reigning MLS Cup champion, but it fell early in the Concacaf Champions Cup, its top priority for 2026. Now, if it wants to salvage the year, it will have to become the first team to defend an MLS title in consecutive seasons since the LA Galaxy did it in 2012. Before that, in September, it will play the Champions Cup final against Cruz Azul. The next step, though, comes this Saturday against CF Montreal, with Hoyos still on the bench and an urgent need to get back to winning ways in MLS.