Inter Miami made the appointment of Cristian “Kily” Gonzalez official as the replacement for Guillermo Hoyos, bringing the total number of head coaches to pass through the South Beach squad to four since Lionel Messi‘s arrival. The move invites a natural comparison to how many managers Cristiano Ronaldo has played under at Al Nassr.
Ronaldo has worked under six managers at Al Nassr since joining the Saudi club in late December 2022. The Portuguese star currently plays under Ange Postecoglou, who arrived in July 2026.
On the Miami side, the Herons officially announced Gonzalez to replace Hoyos following a poor run of recent results. “Inter Miami CF announced today that it has reached an agreement with Cristian Alberto ‘Kily’ Gonzalez to become the club’s new first team head coach,” Inter Miami‘s official announcement read. “Gonzalez will officially assume his duties once he receives the corresponding work permits.”
Ronaldo’s managers at Al Nassr
Rudi Garcia (France) was the first manager of the Ronaldo era, serving from CR7’s arrival until April 2023. Dinko Jelicic (Croatia) then took over on an interim basis for the final stretch of the 2022-23 season, with neither manager securing a title for Al Nassr.
Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami.
Luis Castro then led the team from the summer of 2023 until September 2024, capturing the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup. The victory delivered Ronaldo’s first trophy on Saudi soil, highlighted by his crucial two-goal performance in the final.
Stefano Pioli (Italy) took the reins in September 2024 through mid-2025 before making way for Jorge Jesus (Portugal), who arrived in July 2025 and won the Saudi Pro League. Postecoglou subsequently arrived to replace Jesus as the head coach.
Messi’s managers at Inter Miami
Messi arrived at Inter Miami under Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who guided the club to two trophies. Martino first won the 2023 Leagues Cup—the historic first title in franchise history, claimed just weeks after Messi’s debut in the United States—followed by the 2024 Supporters’ Shield, awarded for the league’s best regular-season record alongside the all-time MLS single-season points record.
Javier Mascherano, Messi’s former teammate with Barcelona and Argentina, succeeded Martino and brought home the 2025 MLS Cup. Miami claimed the league championship on Dec. 6, 2025, with a 3-1 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps in the final.
Guillermo Hoyos then took charge but departed without securing any silverware, opening the door for Gonzalez to become the club’s fourth head coach of the Messi era.
