Here’s why ex-Real Madrid coach Santiago Solari ‘makes perfect sense’ for Inter Miami

Among the countless soccer fans around the world keeping tabs on the Inter Miami coaching rumors is Northwestern University men’s soccer coach Tim Lenahan, who is especially interested because one of the leading candidates, Santiago “Santi” Solari, played for him in the mid-1990s and remains a close friend.

Solari, who turns 43 on Oct. 7, is a native of Argentina, played midfield for the Argentine national team and his club career included stints with River Plate, Real Madrid (where he was David Beckham’s teammate) and Inter Milan.

He coached Real Madrid’s youth and reserve teams from 2013 to 2018, and last season replaced Julen Lopetegui as Real Madrid head coach. He was let go after four months following a pair of losses to rival Barcelona and a 4-1 home loss to Ajax in the Champions League. His friendship with Beckham, ties to Latin America and vast experience as a player and coach have made him a top candidate for the Miami job, although he told the BBC this week that he would someday like to coach another big team in Europe.

Long before he became an internationally known name, Solari played a season of college soccer at Division 3 Stockton (New Jersey) University, where he improved his English and adjusted to life away from home before turning pro. He wound up there because during the 1994 World Cup in the United States, his father, Eduardo, and uncle, Jorge, coached Saudi Arabia’s team and they trained at Stockton. He was 17 at the time, and played on a scout team against the Saudis.

Lenahan was his coach at Stockton, and the two remain close friends. They text each other two or three times a week and visit each other regularly. Solari and his family visited Lenahan in Chicago over the summer. Lenahan insists he doesn’t know whether Solari has been offered the Inter Miami job, but he feels he’d be a perfect candidate.

“He’s a great guy, really well spoken, very intelligent, articulate both in English and Spanish,” Lenahan said. “He’s very passionate about the sport, but also a gentleman. As a manager, he always puts his players first, but he is not afraid to make tough decisions, as we saw with Real Madrid. In hindsight, those were pretty good decisions. If he does wind up in Miami, you’re going to get a gentleman, very charming guy, but also someone who’s very competitive and driven to succeed.”

Lenahan said Solari is extremely private and has not shared with him any thoughts about a potential move to Major League Soccer. “We never discuss his career moves or MLS or Inter Miami, but he knows the league is growing and is familiar with the quality of players coming here.

“It makes perfect sense for Miami because he’s bilingual, they already signed two Argentine players, there are rumors of Silva, a Spaniard, and Santi went to college in the United States. It was only for a brief time, but enough to understand the college environment, so he can relate to a guy playing at the highest level and a guy coming out of college. He also looks like a movie star, so they’d love him in Miami.”

Team sources say they expect a coach to be named by the end of October. Other names that have come up include Carlo Ancelotti, Max Allegri, Thierry Henry, David Moyes and Gennaro Gattuso.

This story was originally published September 27, 2019 at 3:29 PM.