Will Lionel Messi play in the 2024 Olympics? Argentina's squad announced
Messi won the gold medal at Beijing in 2008 in his only Olympic campaign.
Lionel Messi won't be in Argentina’s squad at the Olympics starting later this month in Paris.
Coach Javier Mascherano included four World Cup winners in the squad he announced Tuesday, including striker Julián Álvarez and defender Nicolás Otamendi.
#JuegosOlímpicos Estos son los jugadores convocados por el entrenador Javier Mascherano para competir en París 2024 💪🏻
¡Vamos Argentina! 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/20o9HHw4AJ— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) July 2, 2024
The 37-year-old Messi, who has struggled with injuries this year, is now playing at the Copa America, aiming to defend the continental title he won in 2021. That victory served as a springboard for Argentina to lift the World Cup in 2022.
Messi won the gold medal at Beijing in 2008 in his only Olympic campaign.
The Olympic men’s soccer tournament is for under-23 teams, but three older players are allowed on each squad.
Mascherano, who won the Olympic gold medal as a player in 2004 and '08, will add goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli, Otamendi and Álvarez to his squad after Copa America is finished.
Midfielder Claudio Echeverri, a recent signing for Manchester City from River Plate, will also join.
Argentina will play two friendlies in France before its Olympic soccer tournament opener against Morocco on July 24. Argentina and Morocco are in Group B along with Iraq and Ukraine.
USMNT soccer legend Tim Howard as he delves into the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic soccer competition while addressing the challenges faced by U.S. Soccer on the Olympic stage.