Will Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), the ‘god of soccer’, achieve his final glory in the national team at the Olympics? Mascherano, a close friend of Messi, wanted Messi to participate in the Olympics.
Global media outlet 'Sports Kida' reported on the 26th (Korean time), "Javier Mascherano mentioned the possibility of Lionel Messi representing Argentina at the 2024 Paris Olympics."
With the Summer Olympics being held in Paris, France in July 2024, Mascherano, who leads the Argentina U-20 soccer team, is struggling to participate in the Olympics. In the men's soccer event, in which a total of 16 teams, including the host country France, participate, only two tickets are allocated to South America.
Ten South American teams, including Argentina, are scheduled to hold a qualifying tournament in Venezuela in January 2024 to select the two teams that will participate in the Olympics. Although participation in the Olympics has not yet been confirmed, Mascherano said that if he gets a ticket to the Olympics, Messi will be a wild card over the age of 24. He hoped to participate in the tournament as one of three members of the Argentina national team.
Messi, who is considered the greatest player in soccer history beyond Argentina, is still active as the world's best striker even at the age of 36. He is having a brilliant career with his national team, especially with a string of great successes in his recent international competitions.
First, Messi, who won the Copa America of the Confederation of South American Football (CONMEBOL) held in Brazil in 2021 and presented the Copa America trophy to his country for the first time in 28 years, later won the trophy between the UEFA Euro Tournament and the Copa Champions in June last year. In the 2022 Finalissima, which was a head-to-head match, he recorded two assists against the Euro 2020 champion Italy, leading them to a 3-0 victory, giving Argentina another trophy.
Lastly, at the 2022 Qatar World Cup last November, Messi displayed tremendous performance in every game as captain of the Argentina national team, helping his country to the top of the World Cup for the first time in 36 years. Messi also enjoyed his first World Cup victory by scoring 7 goals, and was awarded the Golden Ball, given to the MVP of the tournament.
Even after the World Cup, Messi is expected to be the winner more info of the 2023 Ballon d'Or as he continues to show outstanding performance for his team and national team. If Messi, who already owns seven Ballon d'Or awards, succeeds in winning another award at the awards ceremony held in Paris, France on the 30th, he will reach the unprecedented milestone of winning the Ballon d'Or eight times.
As Messi, who is soon to retire from active duty, is burning 카지노솔루션 제작 the last flame in the twilight of his career, his former teammate Mascherano encouraged him to participate in the Olympics.
Mascherano is an Argentine player who played for Liverpool and Barcelona in the past, and worked with Messi for Barcelona and the national team. In particular, Mascherano led the national team with Messi for a long time, playing in 147 games for the Argentina national team alone, ranking second in the national team appearance record after Messi (178 games).
According to the media, Mascherano said in an interview with Argentina's 'TyC Sports', "If Messi wants to play in the Olympics, we would welcome it, but first we have to qualify. The reality is that we are leaving the door to the national team open so that Messi can do what he wants." "The friendship between me and Messi is very good and I love this relationship."
According to Olympic soccer regulations, anyone under the age of 23 can be selected, but it is stated that up to three players from each country over the age of 24 can be called up as 'wild cards'. If Argentina gets a ticket to the Olympics and Messi also agrees to participate in the Olympics, Mascherano can use a 'wild card' to go to Paris with Messi.
Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), also hoped that legendary soccer player Messi would attend the Olympics and highlight the event. “It would be fantastic if Messi came to the Olympics. He would set a record as the only footballer to win two gold medals and a World Cup trophy,” he said.
The first competition that Messi won after joining the Argentina national team was none other than the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At the time, at the young age of 21, Messi had already made it to the adult national team and participated in the World Cup. He also joined the Beijing Olympics roster and won the gold medal, defeating Brazil in the semifinals and Nigeria in the final along with Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria.
Therefore, fans hoped to see Messi achieve some kind of glory for the Argentina national team through the Olympics, where he tasted his first national team victory. Messi has already said that the 2022 Qatar World Cup will be his last World Cup and that he has no intention of participating in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.
However, as the Argentina A national team is preparing for the 2024 Copa America to be held in the United States in June next year, it is unclear whether Messi will participate in the Olympics. It is expected that it will not be easy to play two tournaments in a row, so attention is being paid to what decision Messi will make.