Guillermo Hoyos addressed speculation over Lionel Messi‘s influence on Inter Miami’s coaching search, speaking with reporters after training today. The outgoing coach was asked directly about his understanding of the situation as the club reportedly closes in on Kily González as his replacement, and he offered a candid take on how much weight a player of Messi’s stature carries in club decisions.
“I think he has an intelligence equal to what players of that personality and that greatness can have,” Hoyos said, arguing that Messi’s soccer intelligence naturally gives him a voice comparable to that of other elite, decorated players. “I imagine it must be that way in different places too, everywhere,” he added, suggesting this dynamic is not unique to Inter Miami but common across clubs with a marquee player in the dressing room.
To illustrate his point, Hoyos drew a comparison to Boca Juniors, where Leandro Paredes is regularly consulted on club matters. “When you’re at Boca Juniors, Paredes is consulted, and he can be consulted, right? Why? Because Paredes is really an emblem at Boca, and his word really carries weight when it comes to a coach’s continuity or arrival,” he explained, framing it as standard practice for institutions to lean on their most respected figures when evaluating a coach’s future.
But when pressed on whether the move to bring in González was specifically Messi’s doing, Hoyos was unequivocal in shutting that narrative down, saying that “it’s the institution” that makes the final call. While Hoyos acknowledged that a player of Messi’s caliber is naturally consulted, he made clear that the final say on Inter Miami’s coaching future rests with the club as a whole, not with any single player.
Hoyos will miss Inter Miami’s next games
Hoyos’ comments come as his time on Inter Miami’s bench appears to be running out on multiple fronts. MLS suspended him for Saturday’s match against CF Montreal over repeated violations of the league’s late kickoff policy, meaning assistants Rafael Perez and Rodrigo Vargas will take charge from the sideline.
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With González’s arrival reportedly imminent, Hoyos is expected to step away from the first team altogether and transition back into his original role within Inter Miami’s youth academy, the same setup where he first worked with a teenage Messi at Barcelona’s La Masia.
