Tata Martino Bio: Family, Barcelona, Salary & Awards

A well-publicized figure from Rosario, Gerardo “Tata” Martino now encompasses an international profile in his resume.

Apparently, he has been working outside Argentina for the majority of his career; thus, he is yet a new name on the European side. 

Although Martino gained his foremost European history project as the Mexico national team manager, he is a successful football coach.

Furthermore, as a player, he has mostly spent his days with Newell’s Old Boys, where he stood totally as the Newell’s best player. 

He has also played for teams such as Tenerife, Lanús, O’Higgins, and Barcelona SC.

Not to mention, he is also the name that comes first when mentioned Rosario. He has managed various teams like FC Barcelona, Atlanta United FC, and a few.

Here are the interesting quick facts about Gerardo Martino depicted in the following table.

Quick Facts

Gerardo “Tata” Martino | Early Life and Family

Martino (fully named Gerardo Daniel “Tata” Martino) was born on November 20 1962, under Scorpio’s sun sign to his mother, Mabel Capiglioni.

He was born in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, and spent his childhood days there. Overall, Martino is of Italian descent though born in South America.

To illustrate, his grandparents are from Ripacandida (a town in the province of Potenza), Basilicata in Southern Italy. 

Most of Martino’s childhood was spent playing football or tennis in Parque de la Independencia park with friends. Therefore, that park is a pivotal place of his life, locally known as The Colossus of the Park. 

Unfortunately, Martino hasn’t revealed much more than this about his childhood and academics.

Youth Career 

As a matter of fact, Martino started way early in his career. To elaborate, he wasn’t even a teenager when he first started playing.

In fact, he was just a ten-year-old when he debuted with the Newell’s Old Boys. Altogether, his career commenced in 1972, which lasted till 1980, and from there, he moved for the senior teams.

As he first featured in the Newell’s Old Boys’ senior team, he posted 35 goals in 392 appearances. Moreover, Martino bagged three titles with the Newell’s in 1980 at age 17.

In the bargain, Martino played for Tenerife in 1991 and again came back to play for Newell’s.

Following it, he was with the Newell’s till 1995 and afterward, moved to play for O’Higgins and Barcelona SC.

Moreover, Martino has also played in the Argentina National Football team as a senior and in the Under-20 team in 1981. 

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Gerardo “Tata” Martino and Marcelo Bielsa 

Besides, the former Athletic Club Bilbao manager Marcelo Bielsa and Tata Martino share a teacher-student relationship.

Apparently, they shared two seasons while at Newell’s Old Boy. That may be why you can see some similarities in their gameplay.

That’s because they both are known for their high-energy performance and attacking style of play.

Gerardo “Tata” Martino | Coaching Career

During his career, Martino has garnered wholesome respect and a reputation as a coach. In addition, Martino is a well-known name in his native land, Rosario.

After finishing his playing career in 1996, Martino commenced coaching through Argentina’s second division before moving to Paraguay in 2002.

During the tenure, he also coached for Libertad and Cerro Porteno, with a brief stint back in Argentina with Colon.

Paraguay National Team

In February 2007, Martino welcomed the challenge to coach the Paraguay National Team with open arms replacing Uruguayan Anibal “Maño” Ruiz.

Before featuring the team coach, Martino had already claimed the Paraguayan league four times from 2002 till 2006.

As he coped with his job, he finally announced that he would not be coaching the team after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Furthermore, he even explained his end of the contract; however, he stayed one more season with the team until the 2011 Copa America. 

Newell’s Old Boys

Following it, Martino took over to coach his former team, Newell’s Old Boys, after rejecting the Colombian national team’s offer.

Martino led the team to have a perfect first season as a coach and later won the 2013 Torneo Final. 

The same year, Martino led the team to the 2013 Copa Libertadores. Altogether, he turned the team from facing hurdles to the title-winning stage.

That moment also marked Martino’s breakthrough as top-ranked teams recognized him as Europe, including FC Barcelona.

Barcelona

On 22 July 2013, Martino entered Barcelona to replace the coach, Tito Vilanova, where he signed a two-year deal.

His foremost game as a Barcelona coach came as a victory over Levante during the 2013–14 La Liga season.

He also claimed his first Clásico win as a Barcelona manager, followed by the one at Celta de Vigo.

Until 26 November, he had managed an undefeated feat as the manager who came to an end. 

Argentina National Team

Later, as a manager for the Argentine national team, Martino led the team to the final of the 2015 Copa América, which came as a loss to Chile.

Similarly, he led the team again until the Copa América Centenario Final finals, until resigning on 5 July 2016.

Atlanta United

Following it, he starred as the manager for the Major League Soccer expansion team Atlanta United.

Martino, only coached till the 2018 MLS season and did not renew his contract with the team. However, he led the team to victory over the Portland Timbers in his last game.

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Mexico national team

Lastly, and at present, Martino appears as the head coach of the Mexico national team. To illustrate, his foremost win with the team came on 22 March over Chile.

He also contributed to bag the CONCACAF Gold Cup over rivals the United States in a 1–0 victory, his first national title.

Sadly in 2021, Martino lost both the 2021 CONCACAF Nations League Final and CONCACAF Gold Cup to the United States.

Gerardo “Tata” Martino and Lionel Messi

Apparently, Martino and Lionel Messi used to be former teammates at Newell’s Old Boys. According to the sources, Martino was playing at the Argentina club at the same time as Messi.

However, they both were unaware of the fact and didn’t know each other until Tata Martino hired him on the team.

Likewise, in 2019, Martino commented that Messi didn’t deserve the FIFA The Best, which caused controversies. 

Martino claims he never said the famous phrase, contrary to people’s beliefs. 

Instead, Tata said it was the fault of Zubizarreta, the former Sporting Director who claimed that Tata had uttered such a phrase. 

Gerardo “Tata” Martino | Style and Achievements 

Martino is an idolized coach and manager all over Argentina. Additionally, having Europe’s first project, he has already marked his spot in the arena.

In the description, Martino portrays high pressing and an attacking football style, mixing with the Spanish style. 

• Argentine Primera División: 1987–88, 1990–91 & 1992 Clausura
• Paraguayan Primera Division: 2002, 2003 & 2006
• Paraguayan Primera Division: 2004
• Supercopa de España: 2013
• MLS Cup: 2018
• CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2019
• South American Coach of the Year: 2007
• MLS All-Star: 2018
• MLS Coach of the Year: 2018

Gerardo “Tata” Martino | Net Worth & Salary 

As one of the most sought coaches, Martino has a whopping net worth of $25 million with a $7 million salary.

Additionally, he has his ongoing contract as Mexico’s manager for four years, worth $8.8 million.

You can find the latest news, manager record, profile, and more information on Gerardo Martino on the Transfermarkt website.

Gerardo “Tata” Martino | Personal Life 

More than an athlete and coach, Martino is a father and a husband. Currently, he resides in the Jorge Cura neighborhood on the south side of Argentine city Rosario.

In fact, he has never left his native land and redies in his old community, opposite a 24-hour McDonald’s.

However, he doesn’t have a house that stands out from others because he likes to keep things minimal and old-fashioned.

Besides, he is family-oriented and tries to lead everyday life as normally as possible. 

Wife and Kids 

Tata Martino took his vows with his beautiful wife, Maria Angelica Martino, an English teacher. Maria has always been Martino’s biggest supporter and backbone.

As a result, Martino also has his wife and family as his topmost priority. Overall, the duo has a healthy relationship with each other.

As per the sources, the duo met back in their hometown, Rosar, as both of them are from the same town. As a fun fact, Martino’s wife, Maria, is the one who teaches him the English language.

They share three children; Gerardo Andres Martino Jr., Maria Celeste Martino, and Maria Noel Martino.

Their eldest daughter, Maria Noel, is a lawyer, and his youngest son, Gerardo Andres Martino Jr., is following in his father’s footsteps. 

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Social Media Presence:

Gerardo Martino is not a user of social media. Sadly, he has never been active in such platforms and thus, hasn’t made up such accounts.

Therefore, you can go through his hashtag pages to check out his extra photos and news. 

Instagram hashtag (#tatamartino)

Twitter handle (@_TataMartino)

Some FAQs:

What does Gerardo “Tata” Martino’s nickname “Tata” means?

Apparently, in Argentina, “Tata” means father; however, how and where he got the nickname is unknown. 

Is Tata Martino good coach?

Yes, Tata Martino is considered one of the best coaches. His deep knowledge and success in the coaching field have positioned him as the best option for the job.

Likewise, in terms of playing football well, having the ball for as long as possible, and beating rivals, he has high effectiveness of victories.

Why did Gerardo Martino leave Barcelona?

Martino signed with the Barcelona team on 7 July 2013 and worked only one year for the team. However, after a year, he decided to leave his role on the team.

In one of the statements, Martino said that he was simultaneously suffering from many sports-related issues, so he had to leave the team.

However, many sources reported that he could not win the trophies during the one-year period with Barcelona, so he left the team.