The name Tata Martino rings a loud bell in Argentine football and the man behind that name is considered one of the soccer heavyweights from Argentina. A former footballer, he made a name for himself during his playing days before transitioning to coaching. As a coach, he is respected for bringing out the best in his players.
Interestingly, Tata is only his nickname; he was named Gerardo Daniel Martino after he was born in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. Since 1972, Tata Martino has been building a career in soccer; first as an attacking midfielder and now as a coach. He has managed a handful of teams over the years and has a fair share of honors to show for his efforts. The man is married to Maria Alejandra, below are facts you probably don’t know about him.
Facts To Know About Tata Martino
1. How Old Is He
Gerardo Martino is in his late 50s as of this writing as he was born on the 20th of November 1962. Tata wasn’t a teenager when he started taking football seriously. He was only 10 in 1972 when he commenced his youth career with Newell’s Old Boys; this lasted until 1980 which marked the beginning of his senior career. His coaching career has been traced back to when he was 36 in 1998. He worked with a club called Brown de Arrecifes in Argentine that year.
2. Where Is Gerardo Tata Martino from
In view of the fact that Tata’s career has taken him to various country across the globe, and has had him serve as the head coach of some national teams, one can understand why a lot of people still ask where he’s from even though it’s no secret he’s a citizen of Argentina. Yeah, the former footballer was born and raised in the South American country. But then, it may interest you to know that he’s of Italian heritage. In fact, we have been able to authenticate that his grandparents are from Basilicata in Southern Italy, precisely from Ripacandida, a town you will find in the province of Potenza.
3. How He Became the Head Coach of Mexico
For reasons he said were personal, Gerardo Martino refused to renew his contract with Atlanta United of Major League Soccer. However, it had been reported that things are being put together for him to take charge of the Mexico national team. This came to pass on the 7th of January 2019 when he was presented as the head coach of the team by the Mexican Football Federation. Already, he’s won the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup with the team.
4. He Was Once the Manager of FC Barcelona
Tata took over from Tito Vilanova as the manager of the Spanish football club at the beginning of the 2013-14 season. Even though his time with the club came to an end almost as soon as it started, he won the Spanish Super Cup with the club and finished as runner-up for 2013-14 Copa del Rey.
5. And The Argentine National Team
Tata Martino didn’t spend more than a year with Barcelona before he moved on and became the manager of the Argentine national team. He succeeded Alejandro Sabella in August 2014 and announced his resignation on the 5th of July 2016; not before he finished as runner up with the team in 2015 Copa America and Copa America Centenario the following year.
6. Other Teams That Tata Martino Has Managed
Apart from FC Barcelona and Atlanta United, the Argentine and Mexico national teams, Tata Martino’s coaching career has seen him work with a good number of other teams like Platense, Instituto, Libertad, Cerro Porteno, and Colon. Most notably, he has coached Newell’s Old Boys and the Paraguay national team. The later was the first national team he managed.
7. He Played Only Once for the Argentina National Football Team
During his playing days, Tata Martino got to play for his country but according to available records, he only made one appearance for the national team in 1991. We are yet to substantiate why this is so.
8. And Twice for Argentina Under-20
Before he played for the senior national team of Argentina, he made two appearances for the country’s Under-20 team in 1981. To the best of our knowledge, that’s as far as his international career as a soccer player went.
9. Tata Scored a total of 41 Career Goals and None for His Country
As an attacking midfielder, Gerardo was able to find the back of the net 41 times during his playing days. It is only unfortunate he wasn’t able to net any goal for his country.
10. His Best Playing Days Was With Newell’s Old Boys
As hinted earlier, the Argentine had his youth career with Newell’s Old Boys from 1972 to 1980. From the latter year to 1990, he played for the club’s senior team and netted 35 goals in 392 appearances. Following a stint with Tenerife in 1991, the year saw him return to Old Boys. He blazed for the side until 1994 and this time, he scored 2 goals in 81 appearances. The last time Tata played for the team was in 1995. He made 15 appearances but didn’t score any goal.
11. And He’s Regarded As the Best Player in the History of the Club
There is no doubt Gerardo had the best days of his playing career with the Old Boys. He is vastly regarded as the finest player in the club’s history and from what we uncovered, he was voted as such by fans in a poll.
12. Tata Was the South American Coach of the Year 2007
Tata Martino is good at what he does, and he has proved this in several instances; one of such was in 2007 when he was honored by El Pais as the South American Coach of the Year.
13. And the MLS Coach of the Year 2018
Yet another instance that proves the man is a fine coach; he received the MLS Coach of the Year honor in 2018. This was hardly a surprise as he won the year’s MLS Cup with Atlanta United.
14. Tata Martino and Lionel Messi Were Once Teammates
True! Tata hasn’t only coached the fellow regarded in some quarters as the best player in the history of soccer; they were once teammates for Old Boys. Check the records, you will find that Lionel Messi, from 1994 to 2000, had the first phase of his youth career with Newell’s Old Boys. As we have already established above, Gerardo played for the club’s senior team within this timeframe. We know, they were not practically teammates but you get our point, don’t you?
See Also: Who Is Timothy Weah? 7 Facts About George Weah’s Son
15. Atlanta United Won Their First League Title with Martino in Charge
It’s now difficult to discuss the history of Atlanta United FC without mentioning Tata Martino. Somehow, you will have to talk about the year the club won their first league title and in doing so, it is only natural to point out that it happened under the watch of Gerardo.
Discussion about this post