As soon as the final whistle blew last Sunday and Argentina’s Under-23 team beat Brazil, speculation began to skyrocket. The victory means that Argentina has qualified to attend the 2024 Paris Olympics. Coming to the tournament, the U23 team can be strengthened by the presence of three overage players. Will Lionel Messi be among them?
The idea of Messi competing at the Olympics was floated months before the qualifiers took place. The coach of the Argentina U23 team is Javier Mascherano, a close friend and talented teammate of Messi after their time playing together at Barcelona and on the national team. The two even won a gold medal together in Beijing in 2008. Mascherano is in the early stages of his coaching career, Messi is nearing the end of his playing career – can they continue their efforts together? each other again?
This military leader once spoke about the idea of Messi attending the Olympics last October. So it was a predictable question last Sunday during the post-match press conference, and Mascherano expanded on the topic in an interview with TyC Sports. He revealed that Messi sent him a text message congratulating him and the whole team on achieving their goal. Mascherano even added another veteran, Angel Di Maria, to the discussion and said that “as coach, I have an obligation to invite them to compete in the Olympics. But we understand that they have other commitments. It’s not that easy.”
What Mascherano is referring to is definitely the 2024 Copa America, the tournament that will take place in the US (from June 20 to July 14) right before the world’s sports attention turns to Paris (soccer kicks off). from July 24 to August 10). It is unusual for a player to participate in both the Copa and the Olympics. But it’s not impossible.
Recently, striker Richarlison was a member of the Brazilian team that reached the final of Copa America 2021. Just a few days later (from July 10 to 21), he was in Japan to help Brazil on the way to winning the medal. Olympic gold medal. Surprisingly, Everton, the striker’s club at that time, allowed him to participate in both tournaments, but the player himself seemed to pay the price when overload was the reason for injury in the following season. . While back in 2016, Barcelona did not allow Neymar to score such a “double”. The club has made it clear that the player must choose one. Neymar chose to sit out the Copa Centenario, and as a result he was free to lead Brazil to its first Olympic gold medal.
In Messi’s case, the situation is a bit different. He no longer has to endure a tiring European season. And so, even if the eight Ballon d’Or winner turns 37 this June, from a physical point of view, it is still conceivable that he could participate in both tournaments. And with his position, if Messi expresses his wish, perhaps coach Gerardo Martino and his club, Inter Miami, will find it difficult to stop him.
But if Messi has to choose, the Copa or the Olympics, the latter is more likely to happen. Messi is now playing regularly in the US, so maybe his presence in the Copa America in the US is no longer as important as if he were still playing in Europe. Meanwhile, Messi’s absence from the Argentina team could even benefit the future of the 2022 World Cup champion. Argentina is now very close to the prospect of a future without Messi, and coach Lionel Scaloni also needs to plan for the future without him.
It would make sense for Scaloni to use the Copa to review the team without Messi, and then there would be an added bonus if Messi shines and wins the gold medal in Paris.
