Winning an Olympic medal is the dream of many athletes around the world, but not a large percentage of footballers have been able to achieve this feat.
Some have attempted but only a handful of actual superstars have managed a podium finish at the Olympics, and those are the guys we want to talk about today. These are all the biggest football stars who have won Olympic medals.
Lionel Messi: The Golden Boy of 2008
We know the number one name on your lips is Lionel Messi, so let’s just talk about him first. In 2008, Lionel Messi went to the Olympics in China and absolutely tore it apart. He was just 21 at the time, so he didn’t even go as one of the overage players; he was a full part of the under-23 squad. But you know what’s crazy? Barcelona did not even want to allow Messi to go for the Olympics. He was legally barred by the club because their Champions League qualifying games were scheduled to coincide with the Olympic games and they wanted Messi to be available.
But Messi wanted to go so badly, so Pep Guardiola, who had just been hired as Barcelona head coach, intervened and allowed Messi to go to the Olympics. Leo repaid the boss’s faith in him by bringing back a gold medal, doing it along with other superstars like Sergio Agüero, Ángel Di María, Juan Román Riquelme, Ezequiel Lavezzi, and Javier Mascherano.
Pep Guardiola: Captain of the 1992 Champions
Pep Guardiola’s story was probably even sweeter than Messi’s because he had the privilege of captaining Spain to Olympic gold at the 1992 Olympics in his home city of Barcelona. He was also 21 at the time. That squad also had Luis Enrique, who played for and later coached Barcelona.
Ronaldinho: Bronze Medalist in 1996
Another former Barcelona player who has an Olympic medal is Ronaldinho. He was a part of the Brazil squad that went to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, but unlike Messi and Guardiola, he didn’t manage to win gold. He got on the podium, winning a bronze medal along with the likes of Rivaldo, Juninho, Dida, and Roberto Carlos. It was a pretty star-studded squad, wasn’t it? But that year, it was Jay Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, and their Nigerian teammates who came out with the gold after they defeated Argentina in the final.
Xavi and Carles Puyol: Silver in Sydney 2000
At Sydney 2000, a 20-year-old Xavi was part of the Spain squad which went all the way to the final, but he finished with a silver medal. His club teammate, Carles Puyol, was another superstar in that Spain squad.
Samuel Eto’o: Gold Medalist in 2000
Barcelona players have always loved the Olympics. In 2000, Samuel Eto’o won gold with Cameroon, although he had not yet moved to Barcelona at that time. He was still a Mallorca player.
Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano: Golden Duo of 2004
Fast forward to Athens 2004, and we saw Carlos Tevez win a gold medal with Argentina, along with Javier Mascherano. Mascherano, 20 years later, led the Argentina under-23s to the 2024 Olympics in Paris as coach. After winning gold at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, Mascherano became the only men’s footballer and the second ever Argentinian sportsman in history to win two Olympic gold medals.
Neymar: Brazil’s Hero in 2016
Another former Barcelona player who is a gold medallist is Neymar, and he did it in the best way possible, leading his team to win gold in his home country. Neymar went to the 2012 Olympics in London and finished with a silver medal, but he didn’t give up. At Rio 2016, he decided to give it another shot, joining the team as an overage player, and captaining the Brazil men’s football team to their first-ever Olympic gold medal. That squad also had Gabriel Jesus and Marquinhos.
Pedri: Spain’s Silver in 2020
At Tokyo 2020, Antony, Malcom, Richarlison, Douglas Luiz, Bruno Guimarães, and Gabriel Martinelli helped Brazil successfully defend their gold medal. But the 2020 Olympics are perhaps more famous for absolutely stretching Pedri. That was the midfielder’s breakout season at Barcelona. He went to the Euros where he reached the semifinals and then went to the Olympics, where he reached the final and finished with a silver medal. His body has not been able to recover since that very hectic year. Other stars in that Spain squad included Marco Asensio, Marc Cucurella, Dani Olmo, Eric Garcia, Mikel Merino, and Unai Simón.
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