Atlanta United head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino warned his players of Lionel Messi's capabilities on the field ahead of the MLS regular season clash against Inter Miami on Saturday at Nu Stadium.
"We've just seen what he did at the World Cup at the age of 39, everything that happened in a match went through him. There's no team capable of neutralizing him for the entire 92 or 93 or 95 minutes of the match," Martino said.
"There is always a decisive moment. Sometimes there are many moments in a match, at other times, like in the game against England, it comes down to a single moment, and then it's over. There is no turning back. I told the players: even if we control the match for 89 minutes, we could still lose it."
Martino will face the Herons for the first time since resigning as Inter Miami manager in November 2024. He announced his shocking departure from the club days after being eliminated from the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs, citing "personal reasons."
Martino joined Inter Miami in June 2023 before leading the club to its first two titles in history with the 2023 Leagues Cup trophy and 2024 Supporters' Shield. He also inspired Miami to break the league record for most points in a single season.
Martino returned to MLS in November 2025 to lead Atlanta United for a second time.
He previously led Atlanta United from 2016 to 2018, serving as the club's first ever head coach. Martino also propelled Atlanta to the 2018 MLS Cup title before departing to join the Mexico national team.
Atlanta United currently sits in 13th place on the Eastern Conference table with 21 points in 22 games after a rocky start to the season.
