Football has been part of the Olympics for over 120 years, making it the oldest and longest-running international competition in the sport’s history.
While winning an Olympic medal might not be the top priority of every footballer, some of the best footballers have emerged as Olympic champions.
Here are big five football players who have won an gold at Olympics:
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Lionel Messi won gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Messi scored twice and was named the best player at the tournament as Argentina clinched the gold with victory over Nigeria in the final.
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Barcelona initially barred him from participating as the Games clashed with their Champions League qualifiers that summer, only for newly-appointed Barca boss Pep Guardiola to twist the club’s arm and allow their star man to travel to China.
Neymar Jr. (Brazil)
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Neymar found his Olympic glory at the 2016 Rio Olympics. This came two years after Brazil’s horrific 7-1 lost to Germany at the World Cup on home turf. Neymar scored on four occasions, including one in the final and two in the semi-final, to help Brazil secure the top medal.
Aged 24 at that time, Neymar had just won his second successive La Liga title at Barcelona.
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Pep Guardiola (Spain)
Pep Guardiola , one of the most successful managers of recent times, won the top Olympic medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games. The win came as Spain beat Poland 3-2 in a dramatic final, Kiko striking at the 91st minute for his country.
Guardiola scored the first goal for Spain in the tournament opener in a win against Colombia. It was his only glory as a player while representing Spain.
Jose Leandro Andrade (Uruguay)
Jose Leandro Andrade represented Uruguay between 1923 and 1930, and won back-to-back Olympic gold medals at the 1924 Paris Games and 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. He is one of the only three players to have ever won both the World Cup and Olympic gold.
Andrade played as a wing-half or a defensive midfielder and was regarded as one of the best footballers in the world at that time, having helped Uruguay win three South American Championships, now known as the Copa America.
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Javier Mascherano (Argentina)
Javier Mascherano won back-to-back gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2008 Beijing Olympics. Although he made his senior international debut in July 2003, he was a very promising talent
Mascherano won his first Olympic gold as a 20-year-old in 2004 Athens Games and returned in Beijing to become the first Argentine athlete in any sport to win two Olympic gold medals.
