Lionel Messi started training on Tuesday for the upcoming Major League Soccer (MLS) season under former teammate Javier Mascherano, who has joined Inter Miami as head coach.

Messi and Mascherano were long-time teammates at club level with Spanish giants Barcelona and the Argentine football team. Messi succeeded Mascherano as captain of the national side.

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Inter Miami hired Mascherano, 40, to replace Gerardo Tata Martino in November. Miami is the former defensive midfielder's first club assignment. "I like to work with intensity in training sessions. I like my teams to play with intensity and courage," Mascherano was quoted by the club website after the first day of training.

The Miami squad features other popular players who spent their prime in Europe, namely Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba. They were all Messi's teammates at Barcelona. Miami topped the MLS regular season standings but were knocked out in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.

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Messi and Mascherano were two stars at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, in which a Mario Goetze goal in extra time helped Germany edge Argentina. Mascherano retired from international duty after Argentina's round-of-16 exit in the 2018 World Cup. His teammate, Messi, went on to lift the prestigious Cup four years later in Qatar.

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