Argentina hire Gerardo Martino as new manager

Argentina have hired Gerardo Martino as their new manager. Martino was tabbed as the favorite to get the job ever since Alejandro Sabella stepped down from the post and on Tuesday, Argentina confirmed the hire.

Martino spent last season managing Barcelona, but the club had a disappointing campaign and the Argentine resigned in May. It was the first major failure of his 16-year managing career, and it came on the biggest stage he has ever had.

Now in charge of Argentina, Martino will get to manage Lionel Messi again, but he has big shoes to fill. Sabella took the albiceleste to the World Cup final, where they were downed by Germany in extra time. It was Argentina’s best showing since they won the tournament in 1986 and raised expectations for Messi’s team. The problem is Messi will be 31 years old by the next World Cup, which Martino is supposed to lead the team through, and much of the country’s other best players will also be on the wrong side of 30 come 2018.

Martino has proven he can succeed internationally, doing a marvelous job with Paraguay from 2006-11. He led them to the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup, where they were beaten 1-0 by Spain, and then to the 2011 Copa America final.

After more than a decade of great work in South America, Martino took on the Barcelona job and came up a bit short. Now he will get to manage Argentina, his home country, but back in the global spotlight, with huge expectations and Messi at the heart of it.