2022 World Cup winners Argentina has booked their tickets for the 2024 Paris Olympics by beating their archrival Brazil in the decisive South American qualifiers. Due to the qualifiers being restricted to the under-23 team, some big names, such as Lionel Messi, were absent.
However, for the main event, Lionel Messi could lead his national team to yet another Olympic glory after winning it at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And Argentina’s U23 captain, Thiago Almada, is more than ready to hand the captain’s armband to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and play alongside him.
Thiago Almada urges Lionel Messi to take part in Olympics
Argentina booked the spot by defeating their arch-rivals, Brazil, in a tight 1-0 game. In the decisive match, Luciano Gondou scored the winner for Argentina in the 78th minute of the game. The qualifying tournament was restricted to under-23 players, unlike at the Olympics, where teams are allowed to use three players over the age of 23. And that’s the reason the management of Argentina is trying to convince Messi to lead the team.
Thiago Almada has been an admirer of Lionel Messi, so when asked about Messi, he said, ” I hope he has the desire that he can be there, We have to see how he is at that time, it would be a dream that he would be able to play.”
South America’s Olympics qualifying for men’s football offered only two spots in Paris. Paraguay ended up at the top of the table of the final group by scoring seven points in three matches, while Argentina finished with five points and Brazil finished with three points.
Lionel Messi’s stance on Paris Olympics 2024
On the other hand, Messi has expressed his desire to compete in the 2024 Copa America tournament, which will be staged in the United States from June 20–July 14, only two weeks before the Olympics games in Paris. Argentina won the last edition of the Copa America Tournament in 2021.
As the MLS season will be going on as per the schedule during the Copa America tournament, Messi will miss some games for Inter Miami. Therefore, now that the decision is in Lionel Messi’s hands, will he choose to play for Argentina in the Olympics instead of Inter Miami in the MLS? This will be a topic of discussion in the coming time.
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