Lionel Messi will not be part of Argentina’s squad for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, set to begin later this month.
Coach Javier Mascherano has included four World Cup champions in the squad announced on Tuesday, featuring striker Julián Álvarez and defender Nicolás Otamendi.
The 37-year-old Messi, who has faced injury challenges this year, is currently competing in the Copa America, where he aims to retain the continental title he won in 2021. That victory paved the way for Argentina’s World Cup triumph in 2022.
Messi’s Olympic history includes a gold medal from his only campaign, which took place in Beijing in 2008.
The men’s Olympic soccer tournament primarily features under-23 teams, with each squad permitted to include three overage players.
Mascherano, a two-time Olympic gold medalist himself from 2004 and 2008, plans to add goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli, Otamendi, and Álvarez to the squad once the Copa America concludes.
Additionally, midfielder Claudio Echeverri, who recently joined Manchester City from River Plate, will also be part of the team.
Argentina is set to play two friendly matches in France before its Olympic soccer opener against Morocco on July 24. Argentina and Morocco are in Group B, along with Iraq and Ukraine.
