Are Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe playing at Paris 2024 Olympic Games? Can clubs stop players playing at the Olympics?
By Ben McCrum
Updated 31/07/2024 at 15:52 GMT+1
Ahead of winning the Copa America with Argentina, Lionel Messi was asked about his plans to play at the Olympic Games in Paris, where he lived before last year's move to Inter Miami. His former team-mate, Kylian Mbappe, is one of the other global superstars fans are most keen to see this summer. We run through their status, as well as a host of other top players.
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The men's football tournament at the Olympics got off to an insane start, and there is still everything to play for ahead of the final on August 9.
The competition will see 16 of the best nations battle for a gold medal, with teams made up of a blend of exciting young prospects and established superstars.
The French men's side blitzed through their group, and now faces Argentina in the quarter-finals. While the United States men's reached their first Olympic quarter-final and will clash with Achraf Hakimi's Morocco.
Men's squads are made up of at least 15 players under the age of 23 and at most three players of any age.
The women's tournament kicks off one day after the men's, with the final scheduled for August 10.
Only 12 teams will compete in the women's tournament, with Olympic squads consisting of 18 players of any age.
But which of the world's best players will be competing in Paris?
Will Lionel Messi play at Paris 2024?
Lionel Messi will not represent Argentina at the Olympic Games this summer, and they could have used him as they fell to a controversial 2-1 defeat against Morocco in their opening match.
He is preparing for the second half of the Major League Soccer season with Inter Miami having already lifted the 2024 Copa America earlier this month.
The Ballon d’Or winner has led his country to victory in several other competitions, including the 2008 Beijing Games, the 2021 Copa America and famously, the 2022 World Cup.
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However, having competed in the three-week continental tournament this summer, the 37-year-old informed Argentina Under-23 coach Javier Mascherano that playing at the Olympics would be too much for him.
Speaking to ESPN Argentina ahead of the Copa America final, he said: "I talked to Mascherano and the truth is we both understood the situation.
"It's hard because we're in Copa America. It would be two, three straight months of not being with the club, and more than anything I'm not at an age to be in everything.
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"I have to choose carefully, and it would be too much to play two straight tournaments. I've been very lucky to play in the Olympics, of winning it together with Masche. It was a wonderful experience on a football level. Olympics, U20, memories I'll never forget.
"It's spectacular to be fortunate enough to go through all that. I hope that the guys who get to go enjoy it in the same way that I did because it's special. The Olympics are special, different from anything else."
WILL KYLIAN MBAPPE FEATURE FOR FRANCE?
Former Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe will also be absent from the Games, as he prepares for his debut season with new club Real Madrid.
Mbappe had an underwhelming Euro 2024 campaign as France were eliminated in the semi-finals following a 2-1 defeat against eventual winners Spain.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of the recent Euro 2024 tournament, Mbappe said: "For the Olympics, my club has a position which is very clear so that means I think I will not participate.
"That is how it is."
Mbappe had previously expressed a desire to represent his country, who will be managed by French icon Thierry Henry, but admitted that it was impossible due to his busy schedule.
"Joining a new team in September would not be the best way to begin my adventure," he said.
"I wish the best to the France team. I will of course watch all their games as a spectator rather than an actor, and I hope they bring back the gold medal."
The men's Olympics football tournament final will take place on August 9.
The new Liga season will start a week later, with Madrid also due to play in the UEFA Super Cup on August 14.
CAN CLUBS STOP PLAYERS FROM PLAYING AT THE OLYMPICS?
The Olympic Games take place outside an official window for international football, and as such clubs are not obliged to release players for the tournament, per FIFA rules.
Tournaments like the European Championship or Copa America this summer fall within that window.
Naturally, clubs are looking out for themselves too and do not want to expose some of their most valuable assets to the additional workload they will face during the Games.
Real Madrid have notably refused to release several players, including Mbappe. Chelsea also denied Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk from representing Argentina and Ukraine.
Barcelona player Pedri serves as a cautionary warning for footballers playing too much. After playing 68 games for club and country including the delayed Euro 2020 and the Olympics, the young star suffered injuries and physical problems that saw the conversation of player welfare and recovery reach new heights.
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Like Messi, Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho was omitted from Argentina’s squad for the Games, but Manchester City rival Julian Alvarez did feature against Morocco, two months after winning City’s fourth-successive Premier League title.
After an incredible end to the 2023/24 season, Crystal Palace's Jean-Phillipe Mateta was called up to represent France in Paris and started in their opening game against USA.
The 27-year-old scored nine times in the last six games and will played alongside his former Eagles team-mate Michael Olise, who joined Bayern Munich this summer.
Olise was one of the stars of the first round of fixtures, setting up former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette before producing a fine finish of his own to cap a 3-0 win.
Julio Enciso is representing Paraguay at the Games, despite managing just 12 appearances for Brighton last season after struggling with a long-term knee injury.
But after playing for his country in the Copa America, where Paraguay exited at the group stage, Enciso was called up to play at the Olympics.
WHICH OTHER FOOTBALL STARS WILL PLAY AT THE OLYMPICS?
While both Messi and Mbappe are absent from the Games, there are still be several of the sport’s biggest stars playing for their countries in Paris.
Hosts France will be captained by Lacazette, who will represent his nation for the first time in seven years.
Achraf Hakimi, who plays for French champions Paris Saint-Germain, started for Morocco in the win over Les Bleus.
The defender was part of the Morocco squad that became the first African nation to make it to the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
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JULY 30: Marta #10 of Team Brazil looks on during the Women's Quarter Final match between Canada and Brazil on day seven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Miyagi Stadium on July 30, 2021 in Rifu, Miyagi, Japan
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The women’s football competition will be a star-studded affair at the Olympics, with Marta, who is widely considered to be the greatest women's player of all time, competing for Brazil ahead of her retirement at the end of 2024.
Marta will be playing in her sixth Olympic Games and currently holds the record as the only player to score in five consecutive competitions.
Spain’s squad also includes several of the best players in the world, with Barcelona trio Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmati and Salma Paralluelo all set to feature in Paris, one year after lifting the Women’s World Cup.
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer.
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