Inter Miami have announced that Cristian ‘Kily’ Gonzalez will take over as head coach.The 52-year-old will replace Guillermo Hoyos, once he receives his work permit, to become the fourth permanent head coach — and the fourth consecutive Argentinian — to lead the club in the last three years.The decision to replace Hoyos comes after a poor run of post-World Cup form, picking up only one win in their last seven competitive games. Not even Lionel Messi could help reverse the slump, playing over 70 per cent of available minutes throughout that streak.It is an appointment that naturally raises questions, particularly against the backdrop of Messi’s uncertain future. Miami have been built around his game-breaking talents even as he navigates the twilight of his career, attracting former team-mates and world-class talent to the club. But as Luis Suarez approaches 40, with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba having already retired, the prosperous relationship between Messi’s past and Miami’s present could soon dry up.Is Gonzalez the right man to move Miami forward? The Athletic profiles his managerial career to date.Who is ‘Kily’ Gonzalez?Born in Rosario in 1974 — Argentina’s third city, and also the birthplace of Messi — Gonzalez came through the ranks at local club Rosario Central before catching the eye of capital city side Boca Juniors. There he played alongside Diego Maradona, starting three games alongside him, in a team that also featured cult heroes Claudio Caniggia and Juan Sebastian Veron. Three seasons in Spain with Real Zaragoza soon followed, before he was snapped up by Valencia, the most celebrated stint of his playing career. He reached consecutive Champions League finals there. Gonzalez was an exciting outlet on the left of midfield, while Gaizka Mendieta danced down the opposite flank. He won La Liga the following season under Rafa Benitez, before sealing a move to Inter Milan where he played a bit-part role, aged 30, in their 2005-06 title win.Returning to Argentina to wind down his career back at Rosario, he suffered relegation with his hometown club and briefly left for San Lorenzo, who were managed by former team-mate Diego Simeone at the time. Gonzalez would return to Rosario, however, playing 15 times in the second tier before hanging up his boots aged 37.Gonzalez playing for Argentina (Clive Brunskill /Allsport via Getty Images)How successful has he been as a manager?Rosario were the team to give him his first management opportunity after two years working as an academy coach. Things started relatively well for Gonzalez, winning five of his opening 10 games, but he hit two sticky patches — a six-game losing streak that saw them eliminated from the Copa Sudamericana in August 2021, before the following season opened with four losses in seven games. A home defeat to cross-city rivals Newell’s Old Boys proved to be the final straw, and he was sacked the following day.Over a year after his dismissal, Gonzalez was hired by Union Santa Fe, 150 kilometres to the north. He instantly made them tough to beat, implementing a 3-5-2 shape that relied on the bustling runs of Federico Vera and Mateo Del Blanco at wing-back, with three high-energy midfielders covering plenty of ground in midfield. Only two teams attempted more open-play crosses in the 2024 season, pointing to their direct style of play.The 7 teams who have the most net spend on PL playersTifo FootballAfter defeat on his debut in the dugout, Santa Fe went on a run of 10 games without defeat, keeping six clean sheets along the way.Such solidity helped Union qualify for the Copa Sudamericana with a ninth-placed finish in his first full season, but Gonzalez was dismissed after a disappointing group stage exit last April. He returned to management at Platense in Buenos Aires, threatened by relegation, but resigned after just 14 games in charge, a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to Independiente dealing the biggest blow.Does Miami’s squad suit Gonzalez’s preferred style of play?The question at Inter Miami is whether he can implement his preferred style — aggressive and direct — with the likes of Suarez, Messi and Casemiro in the side. Defensive midfielder Yannick Bright is the team’s tough-tackler, while the box-to-box team-mate Telasco Segovia is a lively player who can snap into challenges and spring forward on the break. Rodrigo De Paul still has energy and can carry the ball forward well, while German Berterame is a more mobile option up front. There are players to work with in the squad, and these will be the profiles that Gonzalez will likely be planning with on a longer-term basis. For now, of course, it is about getting the best of Messi, Suarez and co.The post-World Cup run has been tough for Messi and Miami (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)Does he have any history with Messi?Gonzalez is one of the few people to have played alongside both Maradona and Messi, appearing alongside the latter throughout Argentina’s World Cup qualifying campaign for Germany 2006. He was not part of the squad as Argentina took on Hungary in a now-infamous friendly, but was in the dressing room to console Messi after he was sent off less than a minute into his international debut.“It was a very tough moment for me because my debut meant so much,” revealed Messi in an interview with Argentine journalist Juan Pablo Varsky. “I came into the changing room crying, I couldn’t hold back the tears, but I remember Kily saying to me, ‘Don’t worry, the same thing happened to me, and I carried on playing for the national team’. And that’s exactly how it went — I’m still playing a million games later.“Kily was really supportive in that moment; he stuck by me and looked after me. Everyone else did too, but I remember his words in particular.”Gonzalez was also on hand to greet Messi after he landed in his hometown of Rosario after winning the 2022 World Cup, a warm embrace that suggests the two will be happy to reunite in Miami.